Mother Earth Needs Us Conference

In 2022, we had a chance of appearing in Climate Week NYC online because our event “Mother Earth Needs Us!” only happened in Rwanda, in the Rwanda Museum of Environment in Karongi; because we couldn’t make it to New York as the time and means (especially time) was limited despite all the effort and support we had to make it happen.

As this year we had a chance to prepare well in advance and to have supportive and right partners, East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP), we would like to make it happen for this year’s Climate Week NYC, for a hybrid event, “Mother Earth Needs Us Conference”. We named it “Conference” because the vision we had by then grew bigger and is involving different Governmental Institutions, public and private institutions as well as Rwanda Community Abroad as Climate and Environment concern us all.

This hybrid conference would take place in Musanze, Rwanda and in New York, USA. In Musanze Rwanda, we would like it to take place in the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund from 15-18 th September 2024.

In New York, from 25-28 September 2024, it would take place in the Institute of International Education (IIE).

“Mother Earth Needs Us” was started by Akeza Talent Ltd in 2022, and started in Rwanda Museum of Environment in Karongi, in order to give the youth part mainly girls (especially Beauty Queens) to participate in caring and protecting the environment where they presented projects related to preserving the Environment.

This year, “Mother Earth needs Us Conference” is being organized by Akeza Talent Ltd in collaboration with East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP), and would involve some Rwanda Governmental Institutions like Ministry of Environment, Rwanda Environment Management Authority, National Commission for Human rights, Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda Chamber of Tourism Board, Visit Rwanda and some others as said above.

Some of the activities that would be done during this week are visiting environmental sites and doing environmental preservation activities, Exhibition, Panel Discussions and expositions.

During this conference and during the exhibition, there would be time to showcase how and what Rwanda has done so far for climate solution in different areas. It would also be time to see how can Government Institutions, Public and Private Institutions and Rwanda Community Abroad work together to preserve our Mother land Rwanda and our Mother Earth in general involving youth in every step.

We would be honored to be in this year’s Climate Week NYC as all the activities that would take place in this week would be on the channels of “Climate week NYC” where everyone that will participate on international level will be able to see what’s Rwanda has done so far, and what’s in store for the future.

When we started “Mother Earth needs us!” We were thinking about how Youth especially Beauty Queens could use their influence in preserving the environment. Then, we realized that they might have the influence but they lack means to do big things as it can be done by Governmental Institutions and Private sector for example; then we thought of a way both could collaborate to make the world a better place for each and everyone and live safely on a safe world.

We all know that many of the daily activities that happen on the world harm the environment in one way or the other. Working together would be a great start and continuation of bigger things one could never reach alone.
We wish to make this event an annual event as Climate Week NYC comes annually.

Activities:

1. The Opening Ceremony of conference and exhibition, discussions on the Climate situation of Rwanda, and how the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund started in Rwanda and its impact in Rwandan Tourism and preservation of the Environment.
2. Panel Discussion about different themes such Energy, Environmental Justice, Finance, Food, Health, Heavy Industry, Nature, Policy, Sustainable Living and Transport (Climate Week NYC themes) and the importance of Governmental Institutions and Private Sector working together.
3. Visiting the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (in Rwanda), the Climate Museum in USA and some other environmental spots to have an experience of what others do to protect and preserve the Environment.
4. Community work at different environmental spots.
5. Planting trees
6. Networking and Closing Ceremony