Rulindo Challenge

Water For People and the government of Rwanda have joined efforts to launch the Rulindo Challenge, an initiative to ensure that Everyone in Rulindo has access to improved water Forever.

This forward-looking partnership is a transformative change in worldwide development models that shifts from never-ending community-based projects and open-ended international NGO involvement to a systematic program designed to:

Tackle sustainability challenges by focusing on systems management, appropriate tariffs for access, and technical support to ensure the infrastructure is managed properly, fixed when needed, and replaced when required.
Serve as a model that is replicated elsewhere in the country, and in other parts of the world, without the financial involvement of Water For People.

Rulindo District, Rwanda

Rulindo is one of five districts of the North Province, Rwanda. Within Rulindo are 494 villages with a total population of 285,000 people. Water coverage stands at 30%, which includes a mix of water systems that are operational, systems that require rehabilitation, systems that have failed, and the absence of any improved water supply systems in some communities.

Because Rulindo is located in a mountainous area with abundant rainfall, water systems typically utilize springs with gravity-fed systems. Combinations of limited individual connections and public water points or kiosks exist at the village level. Community water supplies are increasingly managed by private operators with a growing network of technical support.

Partnership

Beyond Water For People, participating partners in this challenge will include: the Rwanda Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA); the Rwanda Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN); the National Army of Rwanda; the villages of Rulindo; private operators; and charity: water.

The government of Rwanda will contribute 30% of total costs, primarily focused on infrastructure and technical support and capacity expansion. The Rulindo communities will commit money, labor, and materials equaling 15% of the total infrastructure costs for their villages, in addition to regular, on-going payment for future maintenance and operation of the installed or rehabilitated water systems.

All parties commit to developing a financing mechanism that will secure funds from tariffs and other local sources to repair and replace water systems in the future, so that the people of Rulindo won’t require further external support once the infrastructure reaches the end of its operational life.