Our Initiatives

Great Vision Needs Great Partners

Rwanda Wildlife Filmmaking Class at Red Rocks

"Wildlife knows no human boundaries"

David McGowan, Ravenswood Media, and Greg Bakunzi, Red Rocks Initiative, have teamed up to provide wildlife filmmaking skills to
the next generation of Rwandan conservationists. 8 highly motivated and sharp Rwandan conservationists showed up to learn basic filmmaking
skills. They produced two films, One Health Rwanda and Birding In Rwanda, by the end of the class. They are the future of conservation.

McGowan returns in September, 2023, to continue the course.

for more information visit Rwandawildlifefilmmaking.com

ROCKS OF HOPE

The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged local communities in all areas of human life, socially and economically, creating distress and worsening
mental health issues, further triggered by social and economic obstacles. This has resulted in a loss of income, thus causing many people to indulge in alcohol and drug use, causing insomnia, anxiety, marriage breakdowns, and sadly in some cases suicide.

The Organization has recognized a profound need within our communities. This need we believe can be addressed by the introduction of Trauma Therapy through the Arts, Music, and Dance.

We will raise awareness and offer:

support for: bereavement, depression, adult and child PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) applying a combination of approaches from:
narrative therapy, psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapy, counseling, and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy).

We decided to use:  Creative arts in this way as an aid to understanding the various treatment goals and to carefully select creative arts activities that

can support this process.

Our creative Arts in Therapy offers either: one-hour 1:1 sessions or two-hour closed group sessions per week.

All sessions are confidential and run by experienced local social workers trained to conduct arts-based activities in psychotherapeutic practice, specifically for traumatized persons within our community. The treatment model for traumatized individuals focuses on establishing safety, and activities such as including locals to reflect on each other's dancing to increase the connection between group members.

We believe this will play a vital role in helping and understanding individual and collective trauma in communities.

We welcome local and international mental health professionals and organizations to work alongside us, to learn from us, and to also offer innovative approaches and training in applying creative arts activities in psychotherapy in our communities

Bamboo Conservation Project

Red Rocks initiative has been dedicated to growing Bamboo, as a part of environmental protection and income-generating projects for primates and people. Bamboo products are used for both the environment and the economy. Bamboo cultivation creates an opportunity for income generation activities for local people and serves as job creation to those who engage in its activities as well as employment.

Bamboo is replacing plastic at every corner of the industry. From cosmetics and beauty to building supplies. bamboo is characterized as a rapidly renewable resource and this means that bamboo grows at a more sustainable rate than other renewable resources due to its rapid regrowth and economic benefits, we are taking advantage of this sustainable resource and initiating a new market trend which is eco-friendly and low-waste packaging.

Bamboo plays a diverse and important role in a wide range of markets from energy, climate mitigation, bio-plastics, housing, and household materials to medicine and musical instruments, food for the Gorillas plays a crucial networking role by connecting people and corporations for useful collaborations on all things related to bamboo.

Life Skills Program

The organization offers artisan skills to women, youth, and children in particular disabled to deal with challenges and demands of daily lives faced by those women, youth, and children in rural areas of Northern Rwanda.

The program is implemented through self-awareness for the under-standing of themselves including their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, economic and social skills to discover how to establish social-economic benefits, healthy living, respectful relationships with others, and thinking aptitudes which is concrete ways of thinking and executing tasks so that women, youth, and children make effective decisions set relevant goals, and be informed consumers of information, all these meant to help the women, youth and children to better understand themselves, get along with others, and gain tools to cope with life’s inevitable difficulties.

This program has also helped women, youth, and children in particular disabled to develop personality, talents, and mental and physical abilities and understand their personal feelings, emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and manage to realize their true potential through learning to know themselves and others and helped them to be positioned in life and society.

Arts and Culture Initiative

The culture of the communities we serve is intricately tied to the natural world surrounding them. We’re helping local communities preserve not only the Virunga Mountains environment but also the historic cultures and traditional arts of the region, gaining access to sustainable sources of income from tourism.

Igihoho Project

Our “igihoho seed bags” are made from biodegradable banana bark which nourish the soil as they decompose. These eco-friendly alternatives to petroleum-based plastic containers contribute to soil conservation and are inspired by Rwanda’s ban on plastic bags.

Environmental Conservation Initiative

We promote environmental protection and climate change action by raising community awareness and curiosity toward the vitality of environmental protection and management. We believe that the success of a community and its environment are inextricably linked. Our Environmental Conservation Initiative includes community education & action, research & volunteer opportunities, and pathing the way for environmentally conscious tourism for development. 

Volcano Productions

This is a community-based literature art program initiative that includes cinema. music. theater poetry, drama, storytelling, sewing, and school children's library, all meant to improve community livelihood around the Volcano Massif. Please come and visit these community livelihood initiatives projects with any support in kinds like Scholastic Materials for School Children, Visual Art Paints, Music Recording Materials, and Sewing Materials. Travel with the purpose to this wonderful place and donate any item in kind to support these Red Rocks community livelihood project initiatives.