PICO Rwanda Leaders Complete the Next Six Health Center Rooms

This fall Mumeya leaders celebrated completion of six more rooms of their first health center, building the bricks themselves, completing the roof and plastering the walls.  Now they have room for a laboratory, a pharmacy and in-patient capacity!  When the health center is finished it will include 30+ rooms, and serve more than 17,000 people.

Although government officials committed to assist with the construction, they were slow to begin the work, and this spring PICO Rwanda leaders decided to complete the rooms on their own.

Mumeya health services were limited by the availability of only three rooms, divided by curtains as they offered individual health treatment, maternity, laboratory, hospitalization and other vitally needed health care. The clinic is now providing medical services to an average of 35 villagers each day, 70% of whom are children.

In May, Alice Uwingabiye, a Project Manager with Partners in Health, visited the health center.  She commented, “I was impressed by the community skills of leadership and high level of commitment that enabled (Mumeya leaders) to build the clinic and follow up day to day on the development of this project. They really own it.”