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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Residents of the Eastern Province report being pleased with their children’s academic performance in school, following the provision of clean water sources nearby. Previously, children used to lose significant study time traveling long distances to fetch water.
Those who spoke to The Forefront Magazine are residents of Kibungo sector, specifically from the villages of Gahima and Gatonde in Ngoma District. They noted that, although the first term of the 2024-2025 academic year is not yet over, they are confident that their children will perform well.
Mukantagwabira, a woman in her 40 years old with three children, said that before the water was brought closer to their community, children were unable to study in the evenings after school or arrive at school on time in the mornings because they had to travel long distances to fetch water, while parents were also busy trying to make a living.
She explained:
“Normally, when a parent has school-going children, they must create time for them to revise their studies. But this was not the case for children in Kibungo three years ago. They would spend about three hours going to fetch water from a valley and would then climb a hill for over an hour on their return. It was so exhausting that many times, children would fall asleep without even washing because they were too tired and would even miss meals due to the long journey.”
She added that the lack of nearby water sources negatively affected children’s education. When parents were unable to fetch water, the children would miss school the following day. But now, they can fetch clean water in just two minutes.
She said:
“The children were not studying effectively because where we used to fetch water in Nyakagezi was very far. If you went to bed without bathing because you prioritized cooking for your children and husband, the next day, you had no choice but to keep the child at home. We sincerely thank the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP), which brought us closer to clean water. Now our children can study well because water is nearby.”
Kamana, a man in his mid-30 years old from Gatonde village, also said life was very difficult before they had access to clean water, but now their living conditions have improved.
He explained:
“When a woman was pregnant, it was a big challenge because sometimes fetching water would become impossible due to weakness. As a man responsible for providing for the family, I would have to stop my daily hustles and instead wake up early to fetch water from Nyakagezi, only to return the next day, which meant I couldn’t work to support my family. We are grateful to President Paul Kagame, who brought NELSAP to us and gave us clean water.”
Mutabazi Celestin, the Infrastructure and Land Officer in Ngoma District, told The Forefront Magazine that NELSAP, through the Rusumo Hydropower Project, helped provide clean water to residents. He said they greatly appreciate the infrastructure they received and are committed to taking good care of it.
He said:
“Our district is one of those most affected by drought during the dry season, leading to severe water shortages. However, over the past two years, this problem has been resolved, and our residents, especially women who used to suffer the most, now have easy access to water. We thank NELSAP for this support, and we are committed to maintaining the infrastructure they provided.”
He added that the completed and ongoing infrastructure projects are valued at about 5.83 million USD.
The NELSAP-supported infrastructure includes a 28-kilometer water pipeline serving two villages, Muhima and Gatonde in Kibungo sector, covering 10,500 households.
Additionally, a 53-kilometer water pipeline was built in Rukira village, connecting Gasoko and Murama, providing clean water to 23,000 households. Two health centers and two markets, Gafunzo and Rukira, were also constructed, with completion expected by the end of 2023.
The Rusumo Hydropower Project is a joint initiative between Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi, expected to generate 80 MW of electricity for the citizens of these three countries. These countries are part of the Nile Basin Initiative, which includes eleven countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
