RWANDA IS THE FIRST COUNTRY WORLD WIDE TO MAKE CHCS A NATIONAL INSTITUTION.
His Excellency the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, launched the Hygiene and Sanitation Presidential Initiative (HSPI) in July 2010 and this has dramatically raised the profile of the Community-Based Environmental Health Promotion Programme (CBEHPP) that was officially launched on 17 December last year by the Minister of Health. CBEHPP was developed by the Environmental Health Desk of the Ministry of Health (with support from WSP) in order to achieve sustainable and progressive hygiene behaviour change and improved sanitation. This is all spelled out in the CBEHPP Roadmap (see article).
As per this Roadmap, actual implementation is now taking off in the five selected start-up districts. By mid 2011 the programme will rapidly expand in order to cover all thirty districts. However, because of the HSPI, all 30 district administrations, under the direct supervision of the District Mayors, are even now actively mobilising and laying the ground-work for the full implementation of CBEHPP in coming months.
The challenge is immense as CBEHPP requires the establishment of active Community Hygiene Clubs (CHCs) in all 15,000 villages across the country.
Anthony Waterkeyn, WSP consultant, World Bank
October, 2010