We believe the church should lead on creation care — not follow.
TIDA is a faith-rooted conservation movement equipping children and communities to restore degraded land through the integration of biblical stewardship and environmental science.
Our Purpose
To steward creation so all life may flourish as God intended.
What We're Building
Mission
To equip children and communities to restore degraded land through the integration of biblical stewardship and environmental science — raising a generation of creation's guardians who act on their faith.
Vision
A church that leads on creation care. Communities where faith and restoration walk together. Children who know that loving God means tending what He made.
How We Began
TIDA started with a question that wouldn't let go: Why has the church been silent while creation groans?
In 2023, a small group of young Rwandan believers decided to stop waiting for permission. We had watched our hillsides erode, our forests shrink, and our communities suffer the consequences. We had also watched our churches preach a Gospel that seemed to stop at the soul and ignore the soil.
So we built something different. TIDA began in Kayonza District with a simple conviction: if we want the next generation to care for creation, we need to disciple them in both Scripture and stewardship. Not one or the other. Both.
“We started with twelve children, a handful of seedlings, and a dream that felt audacious.”
Today, those twelve have become hundreds. Those seedlings have become thousands of trees. And that dream has become a movement.
The Gap We Bridge
Environmental organizations have stepped into the void, doing critical work to protect forests and address climate change. But most operate from a secular worldview that has no room for faith. For Christians who care deeply about creation, these organizations offer no spiritual home.
Meanwhile, the church has largely ceded the territory. Creation care is treated as a political issue rather than a theological one. The message, whether spoken or implied, is clear: caring for creation is someone else's job.
TIDA exists to end that false choice.
We believe the church doesn't need to catch up to secular environmentalism — we need to lead from our own convictions.
Why TIDA
We refuse the compromises that others have accepted.
Faith-Rooted, Not Faith-Adjacent
We built our programs from Scripture outward. Genesis 2:15 isn't in our marketing materials — it's in our curriculum. When a child plants a tree in our program, they know why it matters to God, not just why it matters to the ecosystem.
Child-Led, Not Child-Targeted
We don't treat children as passive recipients of adult wisdom. We train them as active agents of restoration. A nine-year-old in our program manages seedlings, leads her peers, and tracks her trees' growth.
Operational, Not Just Educational
The creation care movement has produced excellent theology and important conferences. What it has lacked is operational infrastructure. TIDA fills that gap. We're not here to raise awareness; we're here to raise forests.
Measurable, Not Vague
We count every seedling. We track every tree. We report every outcome. When you partner with TIDA, you receive data about specific trees planted by specific children in specific locations. Our impact is auditable.
Empowering, Not Dependent
We build local capacity. Our tree nurseries are community-owned. Our teachers are local educators. When TIDA's direct involvement ends, the work continues — because the community owns it.
What Guides Us
Six values that shape every decision we make.
Scripture as Foundation
We build from Scripture outward. Genesis 2:15, Psalm 24, Romans 8, Revelation 21-22 — the biblical narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration shapes everything we do.
Children as Leaders
We believe children are not just future stewards but present agents of change. We equip them to lead, not just to follow.
Measurable Impact
We count what matters. Every tree, every child, every outcome — tracked and reported.
Local Ownership
We build capacity, not dependency. Communities own the work; we provide tools and training.
Operational Excellence
Good intentions aren't enough. We pursue excellence in everything we do — from nursery management to curriculum design.
Humble Collaboration
We don't have all the answers. We partner with others, learn from failure, and improve continuously.
Where We Work
Our mission begins in the heart of East Africa and extends across the globe.
Rwanda: Where It Started
We work primarily in the Eastern Province — Kayonza and Gatsibo districts. Our Rwinkwavu and Murundi centers serve as hubs for weekly programming. Our community nurseries produce 25,600 seedlings annually. Our network of 40 school clubs reaches children throughout the district.
United States: Mobilizing Support
TIDA-USA mobilizes resources, builds partnerships, and connects American churches to the work on the ground. We're building a network of congregations committed to creation care — both in their own communities and through partnership with our programs in Rwanda.
Our Journey So Far
We started with twelve children, a handful of seedlings, and a dream that felt audacious.
Foundation
- •TIDA officially registered as Faith-Based Organization
- •First Children's Bible Club launched in Kayonza District
- •Initial tree nursery established
- •12 children enrolled in pilot program
Growth
- •Expanded to 40 active clubs
- •1,203 teachers trained in creation care integration
- •2,400+ trees planted by children
- •25,600 seedling nursery capacity reached
- •Ndi Umudigitale program launched
Consolidation
- •Program quality systems strengthened
- •Impact measurement framework formalized
- •Partnership infrastructure developed
- •First international partners engaged
Scale
- •Expand to additional districts in Eastern Province
- •Develop church partnership program for global congregations
- •Build replicable model for other East African contexts
- •Grow from thousands of trees to tens of thousands