Editor,

Technology has improved our lives in so many ways, but I can’t think of a technology that has changed the lives of the average Rwandan as much as a mobile phone.

Where, once we had to walk various distances to access a phone kiosk, we now have mobile phones in our pockets. Communicating has become easy and the mobile phone has become a tool for things, other than calling and sending text messages.

We have mobile money, where someone can send you money via a text message and we access our emails via the mobile phone. Even the health sector has found an innovative way to use mobile phones.

On Wednesday, this publication ran a story which revealed that the mobile phones that were given to community health workers to facilitate their outreach programmes were having a positive impact on delivery of health services to the population.

The Ministry of Health revealed that the mobile phones had tremendously improved information flow between the health workers and the ministry.

This will surely help Rwandans living in rural areas. Using appropriate technology to raise people’s standards of living is something that we must support.

I urge the many engineers in this country to keep thinking outside the box.

Sam Rwego
Kimihurura