About 8,000 residents from Rega Cell, Bigogwe Sector in Nyabihu District will soon feel a sigh of relief from water shortage after the Japanese Embassy to Rwanda granted over Rwf80 million ($82,000) to the Association Rwandaise pour le Développement Endogène (ARDE) to improve access to water and hygiene and sanitation in the neighborhood.

The grant signed will serve for the construction of a water system of 4. 37 kilometers of water pipe, two water kiosks, a water tank, six valve chambers and two public taps at the area.

Under the framework of Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GGP), the government of Japan provides grants to Non-Governmental Organizations, schools and local authorities for their development projects.

For the last 22 years, 108 projects in the areas of education, water and agricultural development were supported in Rwanda.

Rwanda targets to ensure universal access to clean water by 2024 and ARDE Legal Representative, Paul Murenzi, hailed Japan’s commitment to contribute to the government’s efforts to achieve its targeted milestone.

"This grant by Japan is an important contribution to our country’s development strategy and the wellbeing of the people who have no access to clean water,” Murenzi said after signing the grant contract.

Murenzi said bringing clean water closer to the residents of Rega Cell will play an impact in behavior-change in their hygiene and sanitation, save time walking miles to fetch water far away from their homes and, most importantly, boost health relief for those who fetch unclean water from marshlands.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Embassy, under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO projects framework, also pledges a grant to facilitate the Community Road Empowerment (CORE) in the implementation of its three-year project targeting to improve feeder roads with locally available materials in 16 districts.

For this work, Japanese labor-based technology for road repairing, popularly known as ‘Donou’, will be introduced to local road maintenance cooperative or group members, which will be further transferred to other local community members.

 The government of Japan will provide over Rwf 300 million (330 000) for the first year of the project which targets to reach six districts in the first phase.

With the grant, Yuko Nokomizo, the project Coordinator said, "The grant will help her organization achieve property reduction and rural development in areas or project implementation through labor-based feeder roads improvement with locally available materials”

After signing of grant contracts with the two organizations, Masahiro Imai, the Ambassador of Japan to Rwanda, hailed the work that the two NGOs have so far done in not only developing the areas where their projects operate but also putting into action the support and encouragement to the people.

"Although they are working in different sectors, both organizations have projects that intend to support improvement of living environment and conditions for the local communities,” said Imai, who called for successful implementation of both projects.  

The envoy said that the embassy chose to support the two organizations’ project because they have been reliable for the embassy of Japan while working together in previous projects.

ARDE has been working in water management throughout Rwanda over the past 13 years. This is the third time the organization has received a similar grant under the GGP recipient, having previously benefited the same grant to implement similar projects in Muhanga and Kamonyi Districts in 2015 and 2018 respectively.

Meanwhile, it is the second time CORE has received a grant under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO projects framework, having previously been a beneficiary of a similar grant to implement the Donou technology not only to improve feeder roads in four different districts but also increase non-agricultural employment opportunities for over 200 000 youth in rural communities.

Most importantly, Imai said that the embassy is supporting the project of improving water access because water and sanitation are one of the priority sectors not only for the Japanese Embassy here but also as the government of Japan.

"We are very keen to support as much as possible the basic needs of people of Rwanda including water and sanitation,” He explained.