Project implemented during the 2019–2020 academic year
Rwanda is a country of 26,338 km², one of the smallest nations in Africa, with a temperate and humid climate. Its landscape is predominantly mountainous, with the entire country located more than 1,000 meters above sea level and nearly half of its territory situated between 1,500 and 2,000 meters. Most of the population lives in mid-altitude regions, earning Rwanda the nickname “the Land of a Thousand Hills.”
With limited natural resources, Rwanda has traditionally relied on an agricultural economy. Its fertile land supports a thriving agricultural sector, although it remains highly dependent on fluctuations in international markets.
Rwanda has also had to overcome one of the most tragic events in recent history: the 1994 genocide. During one hundred days of violence, thousands of people from both Tutsi and Hutu communities were killed, while many others fled to neighboring countries, facing hunger, disease, and extreme hardship in refugee camps. It is estimated that between 20% and 40% of the population was lost during this period. Despite the country’s significant economic progress over the last two decades and its efforts to recover from the humanitarian crisis of 1994, many people still lack the minimum conditions necessary to meet their basic needs.
Despite the country’s economic progress over the past twenty years in recovering from the severe humanitarian crisis experienced in 1994, many people still lack the minimum conditions necessary to meet their basic needs.
Rwanda ranks 157th on the Human Development Index (HDI), placing it among the lowest-ranked countries globally. Despite ongoing efforts to strengthen and rehabilitate the economy, 38.2% of the population continues to live below the poverty line (World Bank, 2016).
The project
Ruli Hospital is a faith-based district hospital belonging to the Catholic Archdiocese of Kigali and located in the Ruli Sector of Gakenke District.
The hospital supervises nine health centers serving an estimated population of 119,617 people distributed across 191 villages. These centers are located in Coko, Muhondo, Rushashi, Rwankuba, Muyongwe, Rukura, Minazi, Nyage, and Ruli. The hospital also receives referrals from health centers located beyond its catchment area, including patients from the districts of Rulindo, Muhanga, and Kamonyi.
The population relies on Ruli District Hospital for a wide range of healthcare services, including pediatrics, neonatal and maternal care, general and pediatric surgery, internal medicine, dentistry, ophthalmology, and emergency services.
Through its daily work, the hospital constantly encounters the severe hardships faced by many patients. Some are unable to follow prescribed treatments because they lack sufficient food or cannot afford the costs associated with their medical care.
Most patients come from the poorest families or travel from remote communities. For them, hospitalization often means losing the income they depend on for daily survival. As a result, already limited resources are redirected toward healthcare expenses, often at the expense of food, housing, and education.
This reality is especially critical for newborn babies born into conditions of extreme vulnerability. Many parents lack the means to provide adequate nutrition and care for their children.
When newborns experience medical complications, the neonatal department plays a vital role by supporting breastfeeding, guiding mothers in providing specialized care, and ensuring that infants receive the attention they need.
The hospital also assists mothers facing breastfeeding difficulties due to insufficient milk production, special nutritional needs of newborns, associated illnesses, maternal mental health challenges, adolescent pregnancies, and cases involving orphaned infants.
The hospital’s intervention is based on a case-by-case assessment methodology that allows staff to gather information, analyze needs, develop action plans, and evaluate outcomes. Interventions may include social assistance processes, monitoring treatment adherence among vulnerable patients, and reducing rates of abandonment of medical care. Ensuring dignified access to food is a crucial component of improving patients’ recovery prospects and guaranteeing the effectiveness of medical interventions.
Objective
To guarantee adequate and continuous nutrition for hospitalized patients living in vulnerable conditions, particularly those receiving care in the pediatric and neonatal departments of Ruli District Hospital, in order to improve recovery outcomes, treatment adherence, and overall well-being during hospitalization.
Beneficiaries: 420 infants – 300 adults
Total budget: €7,841.00 | Funding requested from FASOL: €5,000.00