Rwanda Works recognizes that poor health is both a cause and effect of extreme poverty and that regardless of investments in economic development, growth cannot occur in a population that lacks basic health care.
In collaboration with the Access Project, a program that has a proven track record improving health care delivery in Rwanda’s poorest regions, RW seeks to mobilize and deploy funds to build six new health centers, upgrade eleven existing health centers and establish more than 60 new village health posts. Like its business investments, RW will focus on developing prudent management at these health centers and posts.
The plan for bolstering health care includes four types of work:
- Build Health Centers
- Build health centers in areas that are not adequately served by current government facilities.
- Improve Infrastructure
- In order to be fully functional, health centers must have access to power and water. RW will enter into an agreement with health centers to support them to undertake intensive, high-level infrastructure improvements.
- Improve Service
- Upgrade existing health centers to meet Access Project physical infrastructure and management standards. These standards have been established through the Access Project’s successful work with 79 health centers throughout Rwanda.
- Deepen Network
- In order to improve coverage, it is important to grow a network of health posts to support health centers and extend reach into the community. Ideally, one health post should be established per 5,000 person catchment area, with a maximum of four health posts serving each health center.