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Rugando Village, Rwanda

Photo of Rugando Village, Rwanda

Project Snapshot

Country: Rwanda

GPS Coordinates:
  Latitude -2.250933
  Longitude 30.708033

Impact:
  Total Served: 800

Status:  Completed (What's This?)

Completion Date (or estimate): 06/05/2012

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Upon completion of the project our implementing partner reported...

An elderly woman states "We were in bad need of water and now our prayers have been answered. I can’t believe I have a clean water source in a walkable distance." When the LWI Rwanda team arrived, community members were utilizing an unprotected spring located two kilometers away from the community to meet all of their water needs. Because of this the families were left suffering from malaria, respiratory, diarrhea and other preventable water related illnesses. The LWI Rwanda team was pleased to hear the community utilizing a covered latrine pit which will help to prevent further spread of diseases in the area. Most of the community members earn a living by farming to help provide for their families. During the team's stay, a committee was formed consisting of two men and two women who assisted the team with the water project and provided any available materials. The nearest school is located four kilometers away from the community and now students, teachers, and administrative personnel all have access to safe, clean water. LWI also provided community member, Sylvain Mutabaruka, with a LWI Rwanda number in case the well was to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.

The LWI Rwanda team had the opportunity to meet with forty-five year old farmer, Isodore Twahirwa, who stated, "Having clean water will reduce the worms incidents in this area. Usually if someone asked for drinking water, we would become ashamed and be forced to say we don't have water, as it is usually dirty."

During the hygiene education, the LWI Peru team addresses: Hand washing, how to properly transport and store water, disease transmission and prevention, how to maintain proper care of the pump, as well as signs and symptoms of dehydration and how to make Oral Rehydration Solution. All of these lessons are taught in a participatory method to help community members discover ways to improve their hygiene and sanitation choices, and implement community driven solutions.


Project Photos


Recent Project Updates

06/06/2012: Clean Water Brought To A Village In Rwanda

With the completion of another well, 800 more people in Rwanda have access to clean water!  We have just posted an update from the field with pictures and GPS coordinates



Sponsors


1 individual donors
Marcia and Philip Rothblum Foundation Inc.
Deshanie's Mission for Clean Water


Country Details

Rwanda

Population: 10.2 million
Lacking clean water: 35%
Below poverty line: 60%
Climate:Varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north
Languages: Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers
Ethnic Groups: Hutu (Bantu) 84%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%
Life Expectancy: 51 years
Infant Mortality Rate: 72 deaths per 1000 live births

While 35 percent of Rwanda's population lacks access to an improved water source, the country has numerous rivers and streams as well as tremendous potential for developing groundwater resources. Villagers in many areas are forced to walk several miles to the nearest source of water—contaminated water from a swamp, stream, or open well. For these desperate communities, Living Water International offers hope. Since beginning operations in Rwanda in 2007, Living Water has completed more than 195 water projects there.

Read more about the program »

Partner Profile

Living Water International

Nearly 20 years ago, we set out to help the church in North America be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving the poorest of the poor. 600 million people in the world live on less than $2 a day. 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water.


For all practical purposes, these statistics refer to the same people; around the world, communities are trapped in debilitating poverty because they constantly suffer from water-related diseases and parasites, and/or because they spend long stretches of their time carrying water over long distances.


In response to this need, we implement participatory, community-based water solutions in developing countries. Since we started, we’ve completed water projects for 7,000 communities in 26 countries.


It all began in 1990, when a group from Houston, Texas traveled to Kenya and saw the desperate need for clean drinking water. They returned to Houston and founded a 501(c)3 non-profit. The fledgling organization equipped and trained a team of Kenyan drillers, and LWI Kenya began operations the next year under the direction of a national board.


That pattern continues today; we train, consult, and equip local people to implement solutions in their own countries.


Remembering the life-changing nature of that first trip in 1990, we also lead hundreds of volunteers on mission trips each year, working with local communities, under the leadership of nationals, to implement water projects. It’s hard to know which lives are changed more—those “serving” or those “being served.”


Our training programs in shallow well drilling, pump repair, and hygiene education have equipped thousands of volunteers and professionals in the basics of integrated water solutions since 1997.

Implementer


Living Water International

Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water.


Program Summary


Wells for Rwanda

The Water Project is partnering with Living Water International to provide wells in Rwanda that bring clean, safe drinking water to thousands. And we're committing to making sure that these projects last for a long time by thinking through sustainability first.  From the beginning, we'll have a plan in place to monitor and evaluate each well over time.  We'll train communities in basic repair and maintenance, and we'll be available to help if things break down.

LWI will work with each community to ensure there is local ownership.  We'll also fund sanitation and hygiene training so that better health practices will multiply the good of a new clean source of water.  And then we'll keep going back...to make sure things continue working long into the future.


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Project Data




A new well for a community in Rwanda

Project Type:  Hand Pumped Well

Location:  Rugando, Rwanda

Depth:  197.00



ProjectID: 3024

 
 
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