Inshuti Mu Buzima / Rwanda

The situation in Rwanda

The tiny nation of Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa, with a population of more than 10 million in an area smaller than the state of Maryland. Rwanda is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 166 out of 187 countries listed in the U.N. Development Program's Human Development Index.

Beginning in April 1994, a tragic genocide took the lives of close to a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus in just 100 days. The genocide destroyed Rwanda's already fragile economy, further impoverishing the population, and resulted in a massive loss of health professionals and the collapse of health infrastructure. The skyrocketing AIDS epidemic in Rwanda today is, in large part, a consequence of the violence, instability, and displacement that occurred as a result of the genocide. Estimates vary, but it is believed that between 8 and 13 percent of the population is infected with HIV. Many of those infected during the 1994 genocide—especially women who were the victims of rape—are now suffering from full-blown AIDS.

Learn more about the history of Rwanda.

PIH's work in Rwanda

Since being invited in 2005 by the Rwandan government to work in underserved areas, PIH has brought quality health care to 800,000 people in three rural districts that previously had only one doctor and no functioning hospitals. Together with our Rwandan sister organization, Inshuti Mu Buzima (Kinyarwanda for Partners In Health), PIH now works at three district hospitals and 37 health centers.

Building off of PIH’s approach in Haiti, the project was designed as a comprehensive primary health care model within the public sector. The approach used HIV/AIDS prevention and care as the entry point to build capacity to address the major health problems faced by the local population. Our Haitian physicians, nurses, and managers traveled to Rwanda extensively in the early years of the program to provide training and program design assistance. These projects are done in partnership with the Government of Rwanda and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

Butaro District:

150-bed Butaro Hospital

15 health centers

Southern Kayonza District:

110-bed Rwinkwavu Hospital
8 health centers

Kirehe District:

120-bed Kirehe Hospital
14 health centers

In Rwanda, PIH rebuilds hospitals; capacitates health centers; provides essential medicines, supplies and equipment; recruits, trains, and retains staff; establishes a network of community health workers who are trained and supervised by the public health system; and develops a robust referral and transport network integrating these three levels of care as a comprehensive service delivery platform.

See a timeline of PIH's work in Rwanda.

State-of-the-art Butaro Hospital

Inaugurated in January 2011, Butaro Hospital brings high‐quality medical care and serves as a flagship center for medical education and innovation for the entire east Africa region.

Butaro Hospital's neonatal special care nursery brings live-saving technology and services to the region.

In addition to the four basic services—maternity, internal medicine, surgery, and pediatrics—the new hospital includes an emergency department, full surgery ward with two operating rooms, intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, outpatient ophthalmology and gynecology services, ear nose and throat clinic, and significantly expanded laboratory capabilities.

Constructed in partnership with the Rwandan government, the facility features modern measures for infection control, including natural cross-ventilation reinforced by large ceiling fans and ultraviolet lights, secluded patient wards around courtyards, and an effective spatial triage system allowing for separation of patients based on their condition. (photo)

Learn more about Butaro Hospital.

Bringing social and economic rights
to a local Pygmy community

In Burera, members of the Pygmy community collect water.

PIH addresses the root causes of disease—rather than merely the symptoms—by providing nutritional support, housing, access to education, and national health insurance for our most vulnerable patients.

In Burera, 39 Pygmy families were found to be living in utterly destitute conditions. PIH is working urgently with the local government to provide each family with good farmland, a new house, and health insurance. Over 100 Twa children are attending school for the first time, and many of their parents now work at Butaro Hospital.

Learn more about PIH/IMB initiatives.

Contact IMB: rwanda@pih.org