Rwanda Initiatives

RULINDO CHALLENGE

In October 2010, Water For People–Rwanda partnered with the Rwandan government for the “Rulindo Challenge,” a bold and game-changing initiative to ensure that Everyone in Rulindo has access to improved water Forever. Rulindo is a 219-square-mile area northeast of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The ambitious goal: safe water coverage for all 285,000 people in 494 villages. The government has agreed to provide 30% of the program cost, while the communities will provide 15% and Water For People–Rwanda the remaining 55%.

COMMUNITY WATER MANAGEMENT AND HYGIENE EDUCATION

In peri-urban Kicukiro, Water For People–Rwanda works together with the national utility Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) to extend and manage water systems, while in rural Rulindo the staff works with private operators and the district to provide communities with access to safe drinking water. This includes the extension of water distribution systems with communal water tap stands. The critical aspect of this program is establishing a management system that ensures the new tap stands are well maintained and communities are provided with reliable access to safe drinking water over time. In rural Rulindo, a private operator is selected by the district to manage the water system and is responsible for selling water to users through employed water sellers, minor maintenance of the system, and reporting any needed major repairs to the district. Through this approach, the private operator is motivated by profit to ensure that regular service is provided, routine maintenance is conducted, and downtime is limited. In urban and peri-urban areas, EWSA is responsible for managing the water systems, and this includes all major and minor repairs of the system.

In addition, community-level hygiene education is provided by reinforcing health promoters already present in each village. Through the local health center, hygiene training sessions are held. Partnering with local health centers encourages them to take responsibility for discussing and promoting hygiene behaviors within the area.

SCHOOL WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE PROMOTION PROGRAM

Water For People–Rwanda works in schools throughout the districts of Rulindo and Kicukiro to increase their access to sustainable water and sanitation facilities and promote sound hygiene practices among students. Working with local NGO partners, Water For People–Rwanda facilitates the construction of urine-diversion ecological toilets for girls and boys and rainwater catchment tanks for hand washing and cleaning. In light of girls’ needs, sanitation facilities are separated by gender; girls’ facilities include a “showering” area that allows them the privacy they require to attend to their needs during menstruation. Each sanitation facility has a hand-washing station with water provided by the rainwater catchment system. Incinerators are also installed in the girls’ facilities for disposal of sanitary products.

A key component of this program is teaching students proper hygiene behaviors. The World Health Organization estimates that washing hands with soap at critical times (before eating, before handling food, or after going to the bathroom) can reduce diarrheal rates among children by 50%. In Rwanda, where more than 80% of people are affected by waterborne illness, hygiene education is critical to ensure the health of students. In schools, Water For People–Rwanda capitalizes on the already established and highly regarded HAMS (Hygiène et Assainissement en Milieu Scolaire, or Hygiene and Sanitation in School) program to promote health and hygiene education.

HAMS Committees and Clubs, made up of students, teachers, and parents, reinforce hygiene education messages and carry out activities planned by the school club. In schools in which HAMS structures are already present, Water For People–Rwanda works with local trainers to provide education on hygiene and sanitation. Where HAMS Committees and Clubs do not yet exist, Water For People–Rwanda works to create and train these groups. Local hygiene trainers and Water For People–Rwanda also review schools’ hygiene action plans and ensure that key topics, such as hand washing and the hygienic maintenance of sanitation facilities, are addressed.