For decades, Rwanda’s environmental narrative focused on her biodiversity and conservation efforts. However, a new chapter is unfolding with a growing number of environmental journalists across Rwandan Journalism institutions. The growing field of environmental journalism is not only raising awareness about critical ecological issues, but is empowering citizens to protect the environment. The rise in environmental journalism in Rwanda is fueled by a growing awareness of its importance. Journalism institutions have played a big role in the coverage of environmental issues in Rwanda by incorporating environmental journalism training in their curriculum. This is considered critical in equipping students with the requisite skills.

Rev. Jean Pierre Uwimana, a lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication - University of Rwanda, acknowledges that there are training sessions dedicated to environmental reporting across Rwanda’s Journalism Training Institutions. "There is no specific module related to environmental journalism. However, it can be taught as a component of the specialized reporting module in Year Three. In this case, it takes 7.5 credits that is 75 hours out of 120 credits (1,200 hours).”

Some of the students of journalism in these institutions that I spoke to, say that environmental journalism is as important as any other kind of journalism. They add that ample attention must therefore be paid to this field during the training of future journalists. Umutesi Alice, a student at the University of Rwanda explained the need for studying environmental journalism training. “Environmental journalism is like any aspect such as business or technology covered in our curriculum. We write about environmental issues and inspire action. Through our reporting, we aim to educate and advocate for positive change in environmental issues.”
To effectively skill the students, the institutions partner with other organizations that provide support. "The University of Rwanda signed Memorandums of Understanding with local organizations to support the skilling of journalists and students who want to specialize in environmental journalism," explained Rev. Uwimana.

Sadiki Rubangura, the Founder and Executive Director of Rwanda Environmental Journalists (REJ), an organization of journalists that is dedicated to increasing coverage in Rwanda’s environmental issues, said that they collaborate with different institutions to empower journalists in Rwanda. This is partly done through conducting workshops and seminars to train journalists on how to handle legal and ethical issues about reporting on the environment, together with the safety measures that they can take during their reporting. “The Rwanda Environmental Journalists are currently working on a project that will see them collaborate with one of our main partners who works in the area of empowering journalism faculties in Rwanda,” he added. “Part of the project is to involve students in media clubs and opportunities to join other environmental journalists in training and field experiences so that they can learn hands-on skills. This way, they will be able to apply theoretical knowledge to real world scenarios,” Rubangura said further.

Elias Tumwesigye who works with Social Action for Environmental Biodiversity conservation (SAEB), an organization that aims at conserving the environment in Rwanda, said he occasionally interacts with journalists in the line of duty. He has helped provide them with contact information on potential news sources.
With the development in technology, these training institutions have now incorporated their digital media or online platforms in studying journalism as a whole. Mwiza Sharon, a student at the University of Rwanda said that different digital platforms have helped her in conducting research about environmental reporting. She has also been able to refer to online stories submitted by veteran journalists, in order to improve her own reporting.
Rwanda has legal policies and regulations. Students are taught how to handle themselves while reporting on environmental issues in order to avoid falling into legal issues. The curriculum of the journalism training institutions has a percentage that covers laws, policies and regulations in the journalism field. The students say they have not had the chance to participate in practical field work or opportunities to get hands on skills in environmental reporting in Rwanda. “We do not solely have trainings unless a student pitches a story about environment during assignments,” Mwiza explained.
However, Rev. Jean Pierre dismisses this claim, adding that the students have occasional practical sessions. "Under the supervision of the lecturer, students are tasked to write articles for publication in their newspaper, Kaminuza Star, or in other local newspapers. The same, articles are often broadcasted by Salus Radio, the Radio of the School of Journalism and Communication.” He added that students also practice environmental reporting in their Environmental Club. Rwanda’s environment faces complex challenges such as rapid urbanization, population growth and climate change threats that demand a proactive approach. Whereas Rwanda boasts of impressive green initiatives, such as its nationwide plastic ban, environmental journalists continue to shed light on lesser known issues.