The Project Overview:

Our primary goal for this project is to create a reliable source of electrical power that can support standard of care health services, including HIV services, at the Nyange Health Center in northern Rwanda. This addresses an urgent need across the rural areas of Northern Rwanda who do not have a reliable source of electricity and are not connected to the national electrical grid. Once we have created an effective and reproducible solar power system in Nyange, we will expand our reach to four other health centers in northern Rwanda that have similar needs.

The Need:

This project was initiated by the nursing director of Nyange Health Center, who recognized the need for sustainable and reliable electricity to meet the basic health care and HIV education and testing needs of the Nyange community. The health center has maternity, adult and pediatric wards, as well as isolation rooms for tuberculosis patients. Because of poor access to transportation, it is common for the nurses at the health center to manage medical conditions that would otherwise be managed by physicians in a hospital setting.

The original solar power system of the health center was built to support lighting and radio communication.  Since installation of the system over 10 years ago, the needs of the clinic have greatly expanded. The Global Fund has provided the clinic with a television and VCR to provide mandatory HIV education in exchange for testing services.  In addition, a computer and printer were donated to the clinics to improve data collection and storage. The current electrical system is inadequate to support these activities, and the daily electrical shutdowns challenge the health center's ability to maintain basic health care services.  An important part of our project is to develop a power system that can accommodate future expansion of services and provide education regarding the efficient use of the energy these systems produce.

The Impact:

Nyange Health Center will have a reliable source of electrical power that can support both standard health care services and HIV services to their community. This will allow the health center to provide HIV education and testing to 20,000 inhabitants that previously did not have appropriate access to these services without negatively impacting the other services they provide. By virtually eliminating service interruptions due to electrical outages, this project will improve patient satisfaction and their willingness to return for further services such as immunizations and routine health care. The project will help the medical community adapt to the influx of resources that have been dedicated to HIV services without compromising other essential health services.

Technical Support:

The Ihangane Project (TIP) is collaborating with Catapult Design, an initiative of Engineers Without Borders, to ensure that our project is technically sound, cost-effective, and adaptable to future needs of the health center.

Your Financial Support:

Raising a total of $10,000 will allow us to completely upgrade the solar electricity system at Nyange Health Center. We are already half way there, and we are counting on you to help us reach our goal!  Because both of our organizations are staffed by volunteers, 100% of all donations will be used for the equipment necessary to provide Nyange Health Center with the electrical capacity that they need.

Background on Rwanda and the Nyange Community:

In many ways, Rwanda's recent history is an example of the best and the worst of humanity. During the genocide in 1994, over ten percent of the country's population was killed through senseless violence. Scores more lived to suffer the consequences of rape and other severe traumas. The community of Nyange in northern Rwanda suffered particular trauma when a local priest gathered hundreds of parishioners to his church and then ordered the church to be demolished by bulldozers. Despite the horrors of these atrocities, the spirit of the Rwandan people remains bright and resilient. With the motto "Never Again", they have risen from this terrible experience determined to improve their lives and the futures of their children.  The government has worked diligently to establish an infrastructure that includes innovative ways to address the needs of the country. In fact, in 2007, Rwanda launched Africa's largest solar electricity plant that provides 250kW of electricity to the national grid. Their energy strategy is to reduce its dependency on diesel-generated electricity. Since 95% of Rwandans do not have access to the national electrical grid, it is also essential that solar options be brought into rural communities.