Collective Action in the Virunga Region
MCDO is working in partnership with Red Rocks Rwanda to promote sustainable conservation in the Virunga region
Mgahinga Community Development Organization works closely with other local organizations in the Virunga conservation area. The "Virunga Massif" (as the area is popularly known) covers a large ecological belt on the borders of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Together with partners such as Red Rocks Initiatives in Rwanda, we are combining our efforts to promote initiatives that improve the livelihoods of communities in the Virunga transboundary area, while at the same time spearheading conservation of the endangered mountain gorillas.
Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development:
Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development is a non-profit organization that works to enhance the standards of living of the local communities through benefiting from environmental conservation and sustainable tourism by trading in their talents, art, music, hand skills, and cultural diversity by integrating tourism, conservation, and sustainable community development. We work to support sustainable tourism programs by implementing these projects through the Red Rocks intercultural centre. The Red Rocks Centre acts as a bridge that supports local people with an environment to access our programs, projects, workshops, and the training focused on formulating solutions to address job loss, unemployment, climate change, food security, and global warming in our region.
Red Rocks Initiatives and its community partner Red Rocks Rwanda campsite and intercultural centre are dedicated to integrating tourism and conservation for sustainable development. The initiatives implement our work programs & projects through its grassroots community centre Red Rocks, by supporting community-based environmental conservation and promoting sustainable tourism programs- wildlife conservation research projects with different community development partners or organisations.
Our current projects train community locals in skills that can better their livelihoods during Covid-19 as we work towards recovery through enhancing agricultural tourism activities; be able to support sustainable education; work with local organisations to create employment opportunities for women and youth in the Virunga massif region.