USAID-Gikuriro program expanded water and sanitation facilities in Nyarugenge District

By The Inspirer Writer.

Citizens and students from Cyahafi cell, Gitega Sector in Nyarugenge District have benefited to expanded activities of hygiene and sanitation activities by a USAID-funded programme ‘Gikuriro’ during new inaugurated activities on June 18, 2020.

Various beneficiaries are the citizens and neighbouring schools including Cyahafi Groupe Scolaire who used to struggle to get pure water closer to their locations, which could result in poor hygiene related diseases and delay students to get to school.

Gloriose Uwamahoro one of the citizens who benefited from the facilities said that they used to fetch water from Nyabarongo river, or in Rugendabare village which is far from their homes,.

“This water facility eased the journey to those areas and reduced the difficulties. We got water to wash our body and clean homes’ equipment and we share this water with a neighboring village ‘Kavumu’, we thank the sponsor who gave us this water facility,” Uwamahoro noted.

Immaculée Uwimana, Head teacher at Cyahafi Groupe Scolaire said that the facilities will help their students to follow lessons without difficulties.

The school has 2014 students of which 946 are girls. Uwimana said it was difficult for the school to find where girl-students could arrange their hygiene affairs.

“We thank Gikuriro project that today our girl children have good girls’ rooms, we used to have a poor room to cater for girls’ hygiene, they used to return home to arrange hygiene issues during their menstrual periods but now they finish everything here at school in the special girl’s room.” Uwimana said.

NGABONZIZA Emmy, Nyarugenge District’s Executive Administrator said that Gikuriro came to tackle many problems, including parents and children’s problems and without limiting at only parents and children life.

“It also embarked on girl children and on hygiene and sanitation as well as tackling the existing gap of shortage of pure drinking water, this is observed in our current budget activities, during this year’s budget activities, we have received different activities including water facilities to give water to our citizens in various corners of the district. We have received girl’s room; we have received a school and a kitchen garden at Groupe Scolaire Cyahafi to cater for problems facing Rwandan community among others,” Ngabonziza said.

Dr Umurungi Serubibi Yvonne, Deputy Chief of Party at USAID-Gikuriro programme said that Gikuriro thought on inaugurating water activities by improving hygiene and sanitation in schools by coordinating hygiene and nutrition activities, which include girl’s room.

She said that the programme aims at fighting against hygiene-related diseases among the children.

Gikuriro project is a USAID-funded programme and works in eight (8) districts of Rwanda including Nyabihu which is among the districts suffered by malnutrition.

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