SFH guarantees access to Safe Water in Bugesera District

Spotting a red blouse and flowery Skirt , Mukaruzima Anne, a mother of four and a resident of Mayange Sector ,Bugesera District , Eastern Province, looks blankly at the roof with her chin cupped in hands for a long time, before suddenly delving into an account of her troubled past.

Spotting a red blouse and flowery Skirt , Mukaruzima Anne, a mother of four and a resident of Mayange Sector ,Bugesera District , Eastern Province, looks blankly at the roof with her chin cupped in hands for a long time, before suddenly delving into an account of her troubled past.

“Diarrhea was on the verge of wiping out my family, everybody frequently got a running stomach, and sometimes it became difficult to nurse my Children, because I was also suffering a similar fate.” As if that wasn’t enough , Mukaruzima adds that Diarrhea alternated with scabies at plaguing them.

“This blight hit any body part, and scratching oneself unconsciously is what usually followed , causing un necessary embarrassment sometimes ” She points out that abject poverty also set in, because her farming work was put to a stand still .And even her little savings got drained by endless hospital bills. For a long time in other words, agony became a loyal companion. And for once she got convinced that her family had been bewitched.

SFH intervenes

Its wasn’t until June 2013,during a sensitization drive organized by Community Based Organisation (a co-operative called Inkubito-mu-bahizi) supported by Society For Family Health (SFH) Rwanda , when she learnt that use of unclean water could be the cause of her troubles.

She then acquired 150mls Sur’Eau water disinfectant bottle, they offered. “ After about three days of using water mixed with this liquid, these infections magically started to disappear”, she says with visible relief. Mukaruzima reveals that because of S.F.H’s great work through Community Based Organisations (C.B.O’s), she was motivated to join Inkubito-mu-bahizi which now reaches out to over 350 homes in Bugesera district every month.

Her only complaint however is that Sur’Eau some times runs out of stock because of over whelming demand, and requests SFH to boost supplies.

According to Nkundumugaba Martin , the SFH Central Region Team Leader (which also covers Bugesera, Gicumbi and Kamonyi), a 150mls Sur’Eau bottle sold at Rwf 300 can be used to disinfect 1000 water litres. He remarks that over 1140 Community Health Workers were equipped with Safe Water related skills which they later transferred to residents.

“ We use various sensitization methods like Mobile Cinema Services, all with an aim of equipping residents with skills related to water treatment, safe storage, so on and so forth.”

According to Karambizi Francis , the Director of Health in Bugesera District, the use of Sur’Eau has supplemented the traditional way of disinfecting Water; which is boiling . And more people are taking on its use(Sur’Eau’s) because its not only time saving but also spares the money that should have been spent on fire wood.