The Training of Trainers by Africa AHEAD for the Communited BasedEnvironmental health PromotionProgramme in Rwanda for the scaling up of the CHC Approach to national level was completed in November 2010. Since then the process has been rolling out across the country in an unprecedented fashion. Encouraged by a Presidential directive from President Paul Kagame, the Environmental Health Department is jumping around establishing CHCs in all districts, and the communities are responding with alacrity.
By July 2011, detailed data was kindly made available to Africa AHEAD from EHD, which showed that an astonishing 79% of the 15,000 villages in Rwanda have already registered a CHC and that the monitoring structure is being put in place throughout the country. All Districts (100%) have the umbrella hygiene committee in place, and the structure reaches down the country at each level: 86% of the Sectors have committees, 74% of the cells, and 79% of villages have already elected their hygiene committee at village level. In addition 65% of schools also have hygiene committees, and 82% of hospitals are also ready to start CHCs.
This is a phenomenal amount of activity and is essential to lay the foundation for the CHC training to be rolled out throughout the country in the next year. Whilst many believe that scaling up at this rate will prove impossible the initial response by villagers and all levels of government bodes well for the future.
Africa AHEAD is currently sourcing funding to enable detailed monitoring of this process to be done so as to capture the changes in behaviour that is expected to be achieved. Not only is Rwanda going to be one of the few sub Saharan countries to meet the MDGs, but will also meet it’s own standards that all these latrines will be hygienic and properly used.