Electricity Comes to Mumeya

Until now the lab technician at the Mumeya hoped the sunlight would come in the window just right so he could see the medical samples under his microscope. Now he will be able to turn on the lights to see. While most of us take light for granted, for the people of Mumeya it is a cause to celebrate. After the lights go on in the clinic, electricity will be connected to every home in Mumeya. This did not happen by accident. PICO Rwanda trained leaders how to organize themselves.

Seven years ago, there was no road, no clinic, no electricity, and no community. People thought of themselves as isolated and abandoned. Trained in the PICO model, Mumeyan women and men have organized their own labor and money and pressured government officials to make things happen. They gather for weekly training in the community center they built to plan their own future. Together they are building community and changing lives.

Their next project is to bring water to the clinic by August. And not just to the clinic, but to the ten surrounding villages.  To do this, they are training leaders from these villages in the PICO model of organizing. Their vision is to share what they have learned.