They were here way before us, and we are nothing but their guests. We came and invaded their territory and we destroyed their homes. In 2009, I saw some men trying to kill an elephant just to take its ivory. That broke my heart. Since that time I learned that elephants die regularly because their ivory brings millions of dollars, although it is illegal.

I can’t imagine how we are destroying this planet. Animals are killed by people who don’t care. Trees are cut down everywhere and the delicate balance of nature is disturbed. We are creating our own death without knowing it. Many countries today are losing their forests because there are people whose mission is to destroy. I wonder what this world will be like in 100 years.

I believe that if we stand up and all work together we will change things. However we need to convince those people who don’t care about destruction that the consequences for future generations will be bad. I know there are millions of people who work very hard to protect this planet, but they can’t do it without everyone’s help. We need to change our behavior and we need to remind those who have forgotten it.

The planet is not the same anymore and we can’t wait any longer to protect it. We can’t let our indifference take over because this world is splendid, and it is important for all of us.

Ninette Irabaruta,

Burundi