Rehabilitation Project
Bushoga was chosen by the vice mayor of social affairs, Charlotte Musabyimana as a high priority site for a well. When the LWI Rwanda sustainability coordinator, Arthur Kaneza, scouted the site, the team discovered that the river from which the people were getting water, is not much more than accumulated runoff rainwater. The people share their water source with cows and goats both upstream and downstream. The animals add to the pollution of the people's water source. While the LWI Rwanda team was there, a man rode up on his bicycle to fetch water and waded in among the cows and immediately began drinking the water. When the team asked him how he could drink such contaminated water he replied that he was so thirsty that he would rather fight the diseases he would get than die of thirst. The people in the community all voiced their agreement with the man. They told the team that this water is their only choice between life and death. Needless to say, sickness has run rampant in Bushoga. This well has a water committee consisting of a church representative, the village chief, and a village layman. The water committee has opened a bank account which will be used to fund repairs in the future, ensuring the sustainability and financial ownership of the project. Living Water International has also enlisted this well in its operation and maintenance program which will make quarterly visits to the site to ensure the pump remains operable and to do follow up health and hygiene training with the community along with telling Bible stories, praying with the community, and strengthening ties with the local church. During the team’s stay, community members assisted the team with the water project whenever possible and assembled a water committee consisting of three men who will maintain the
well after the team leaves the area. Most community members sustain their families by farming and selling their excess produce at nearby markets. The nearest school is located .4 of a kilometer away from the community whose students, teachers and administrative personnel all have access to the new, safe water source.
The team had an opportunity to meet with forty-nine year old community member and farmer, George Kanyankore, who stated, "The new water from the borehole is clean and good because it is not polluted while the old one was dirty even when just looking at it from afar."
LWI Rwanda team member, Melchizedek Keoye, taught health and hygiene principles to 50 people from the village of Bushoga. Community members were excited to learn how germs are transmitted. During the discussion, the team also addressed: Disease transmission, germs, hand washing, proper water saving techniques, healthy and unhealthy communities, tippy tap use and simple hand washing devises, disease transmission stories, clean hands and clean hearts and dental hygiene.
