Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, on Friday, July 30 awarded Rwandan clean-water entrepreneur Christelle Kwizera with the Commonwealth Point of Light, a recognition given to outstanding volunteers, whose service is making a difference in their communities and whose story can inspire others to creative innovative solutions to social challenges in their own communities and beyond. The award is given every day of the week in Commonwealth countries. According to a statement from the British High Commission in Rwanda, Kwizera was recognised for her “exceptional voluntary service” that provides clean water to over 100,000 Rwandans. Kwizera, 26, is a mechanical engineer who founded Water Access Rwanda, a non-government Organisation. She launched the initiative in 2014 when she was only 20 years old, to provide a safe and sustainable way for Rwandans living in rural communities to access water, without having to collect unclean water from rivers and dams where they can often face dangerous conditions such as crocodile attacks. With a network of 95 boreholes and purified clean water grids, the enterprise now provides clean water to over 100,000 Rwandans a day, while at the same time providing employment opportunities for young people. Her work in water and geophysics has also seen her train and support the development of social water businesses across the African continent with American not-for-profit Water4. Commenting about the award given to her, Kwizera referred to it as “an extreme honour.” “It’s an extreme honour to be given this award; since last year, getting our work done has been more difficult but all the more urgent. The world is experiencing a sanitary crisis, and unfortunately for many in rural areas, conducting activities such as handwashing and social distancing becomes an impossible task when they have no access to running water,” she said. “African women waste over 200 million hours a day walking for water, something we must end. Thank you Her Majesty Queen II and the Points of Light team for shining a light on our work. It is an encouragement to me as a founder, but most importantly to our growing 70 plus staff,” she added. Omar Daair, the British High Commissioner to Rwanda congratulated Kwizera, saying: “Ms. Kwizera has helped provide access to water for thousands of Rwandans, and she has shown real commitment to building capacity of others in her community. Many congratulations.”
