Joseph Katabarwa

TANZANIA COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE

Joseph Katabarwa worked in the WASH Sector for 25 years, retiring  as  Head  of the Environmental Health Department (2006 – 2014) of Ministry of Health in Rwanda, and was instrumental in developing the National Water and Sanitation Policy. He holds a BSc / MSc in Community Health from Great Lake University, Kenya. (2010). He was a founder member of Tropical Institute of Community Health in   Africa.

In 2010, having found out about the CHC Model through his studies,  he was determined to introduce it into Rwanda. Working with Anthony Waterkeyn (who was then a conssultant with WSP-World Bank) , he became the  key architect and champion  of the Community Based Environmental Health Promotion Programme   in Government, steadfastly defending the methodology agianst the tide of CLTS which was sweeping Africa at the time. He saw the strength of the approach to heal the wounds of the genocide in Rwanda and build a more cohesive society. Working closely with the  Waterkeyns he helped to design the Manual and Tool kit for CBEHPP and was instrumental in getting CBEHPP into health policy, so ensuring Rwanda became the first country in Africa to use CHC in a national programme.

Upon  retirement from Government, he joined Africa AHEAD as Country Director in Rwanda  (2014-2016)  in the final stages of the RCT in Rusizi District, and continues as a valuable Associate, now based in Mwanza, Tanzania, where  he continues to be  a powerful advocate, available as  a consultant to train in the CHC Model and advise on the scaling up of CHC through policy.

Languages: Kiswahili, Kirwanda, English, French.

Publications:

Waterkeyn, J., Waterkeyn, A., Uwingabire, F.. Pantoglou, J., Ntakarutimana A., Mbirira M., Katabarwa J., Bigirimana Z., Cairncross S., Cater R. (2020).  The value of monitoring data in a process evaluation of hygiene behaviour change in Community Health Clubs to explain findings from a cluster-randomised controlled trial in Rwanda. BMC Public Health 20, 98.

Waterkeyn J,  Matimati R, Muringaniza A, Chigono A, Ntakarutimana A, Katabarwa J, Bigirimana Z, Pantoglou J, Waterkeyn A, Cairncross S. (2019) Comparative Hygiene Behaviour Change and Cost-effectiveness of Community Health Clubs  in Rwanda and  Zimbabwe.  Hygiene for Human Health and Infection Control .  IntechOpen. (Poster)

Presentations:

Cairncross S, Waterkeyn J, Uwingabire F, Pantoglou J, Waterkeyn A, Ntakarutimana A, Katabarwa J,  Bigirimana Z. Carter, R.  Can Community Health Clubs change hygiene behaviour in developing countries?  Reflections on the findings of a randomized control trial  in Rusizi District, Rwanda. Presented at CBEHPP Workshop. 25th May 2017