At least hundred young Rwanda Red Cross first aiders joined the global community in celebrating World First Aid Day 2025 by preparing tree seed beds and planting trees that will be distributed and planted in other communities countrywide.
World First Aid Day, established by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is celebrated annually on the second Saturday of September to promote the importance of first aid in saving lives.
The group of Kigali based volunteers, which is part of the wider volunteer community of 100,000 volunteers countrywide participated in the celebration by engaging in Community work, Tree planting sessions and showcasing some of the newly acquired first aid facilities and equipment, business projects that will ensure sustainability.
Emmanuel Mazimpaka, the Director of Communication and Humanitarian Diplomacy at Rwanda Red Cross the tree planting exercise is as the part of four-year strategic plan to reach one million trees annually of which currently almost half (400, 000trees) have been planted across the country.
“Tree planting is part of our agenda countrywide and we plan to plant one million annually so as to contribute to climate change mitigation in Rwanda,” he said.
“We have seed beds across the country and we have planted 400,000 trees in this year. Through environmental protection activities we are determined to achieve the set targets so as to contribute to the governments green growth and climate resilience agenda,” Mazimpaka said.
Sustainability with More Volunteers:
Mazimpaka said that the new first aid and medical emergency service training center in addition to other income generating business owned by the organization, will also contribute to the sustainability and resilience of volunteer services in Rwanda.
He however called on youth to join the first aid volunteer program (with 60, 000 first responders) so as to reach more Rwandans who need especially during natural disasters.
Alexia Rubuga, the National Youth Leader of the Rwanda Red Cross Society, and Regional youth representative for Rwanda said that in order to increase youth first aiders, they will need to focus on establishing and equipping more youth centers, but also create opportunities to attract them into the program.
Rubuga revealed that they plan on opening a new youth center in Huye district, adding on to the existing ones in Rwamagana and Ngoma districts.
“We have a strategic plan to establish youth centers across the 30 district, which will enable us to attract more volunteers through peer-learning and community engagement in income generating activities,” Rubuga said.
Some of the first aiders like Ange Mutesi said that volunteering is a responsibility and engaging on activities such as tree planting is an individual contribution to climate resilience and this calls for engaging more young Rwandans.
“Through community gathering, I will embark on educating more youth on the importance of being a first aider but also to be part of a cause that benefits our community and country,” Mutesi said.
All Photos: Daniel Sabiiti
