Location
Imena village, Kimironko Sector, Gasabo District, Kigali, Rwanda
Community Description
Imena village is located in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, 1.5 kilometers from the main market, on the Eastern outskirts of Kigali city. The village houses were built by AVEGA- AGAHOZO association to give widows shelter to help them with the hardships experienced in the aftermath of the 1994 Tutsi genocide. The population consists of children, families, and the elderly.
The community gets water from a water station near the village supplied by RWASCO (Rwanda Water and Sewage Corporation). The water station serves the village of 182 families in addition to the nearby villages of ACOR, PNUD and BCR, equaling a total of 678 families. Most of the families are of low income, and the average family size consists of 6 people.
The whole community benefits from the water RWASCO supplies. However, this water can be shut off for up to 3 days during the dry season, forcing residents to fetch water from the swamp down the hill, which is dirty and in limited supply. Furthermore, the swamp water is used by the surrounding communities as well as Imena, which leads to congestion. This congestion and distant location makes water retrieval especially difficult for the elderly.
Project Description
This project is to build a centrally-located, 20,000-liter water tank that will provide clean water to the residents of Imena village.
REFTTA (Rwandan Evil Fighters Through Talents) is a large and active Rwandan youth association in Imena that has identified this neighborhood as an area in great need of water access. 5 of the members of REFTTA are professional plumbers who will build the reserve tank, along with other members of the community on a volunteer basis.
The tank will have a catchment from the water station supplied by RWASCO and will serve as a reserve for the community when there are water shortages. The tank will be built from bricks and cement, as these are sturdy materials and discourage theft of the tank.
When water is available, the tank will be filled, but will only be used when water from the station is unavailable.
Project funds will be used to buy the materials for the tank.
The leaders of Imena have helped in the development of this project. They are very supportive and have agreed to maintain the tank.
Project Impact
This project will benefit over 4,000 people from 678 families in 4 villages.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Sonia Morhange
Comments
This is a very high-impact project that will remedy a serious problem that affects a lot of people. By providing a source of safe water when the regular supply is cut off, it will keep people from drinking the dirty swamp water, and will thereby do a lot to prevent disease.
Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00
Donations Collected to Date
$500.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Sonia of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or other projects in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.