Country profile

Rwanda      New Zealand Capital Kigali Wellington Population 9 million 4.1 million Official language/s Kinyarwanda, English & French English and Maori Per capita income US$230 US$27,250 NZ$1=US$0.70 NZ$314 NZ$38,928 Life expectancy 44 years 80 years Under 5 mortality rate 203/1000 5/1000 Adult literacy 65% 99% (Source: UNICEF The State of the World's Children 2008)

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People
Rwanda’s population density is the highest in Africa. It has three main ethnic groups – Hutus, who make up 84 per cent of the population, Tutsis at 15 per cent and Twa, so-called Pygmy people, accounting for the rest.

Christianity, mainly Catholicism, is the major religion and is adhered to by 90 per cent of people. Islam and indigenous beliefs also feature.

History
Belgium assumed the rule of Rwanda from Germany after World War 1. During the period of colonial government, differences between the ethnic groups were highlighted and identity cards issued on this basis.

In 1963, the Republic of Rwanda was established amid a bloody struggle for power, which the Hutus won. Discrimination increased against Tutsis, who were blocked from government, army and university positions. Massacres took place and many Tutsis and moderate Hutus fled to neighbouring countries. In Uganda, some formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front with the aim of gaining entry to Rwanda by force.

In April 1994, the Hutu president was killed when his plane was shot down as he was returning from United Nations-brokered peace-talks. This sparked a long-planned and quickly executed genocide, resulting in the death of well over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in just three months. Two million people fled Rwanda. International reaction was almost non-existent and the genocide proceeded unabated until the Rwandan Patriotic Front successfully ended it and took control of the country.

The Government of National Unity, led by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, was formed to deal with the aftermath of the genocide. Methods of enacting justice include the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania, traditional gacaca courts, and promotion of healing and reconciliation throughout the nation. The reconciliation process continues today.

The first presidential elections since 1994, held in 2003, were overwhelmingly won by the Rwandan Patriotic Front.

Geography
Rwanda is a land-locked country in east Africa. It has five volcanoes, 23 lakes and a number of rivers. Due to its altitude (mostly over 1,500 metres above sea level) temperatures are cooler and the climate wetter than in much of Africa. There are two rainy seasons, October to November and March to May.

Economy
Subsistence agriculture is practised by 90 per cent of the population. As most export earnings come from agricultural products, the economy rises and falls according to commodity prices.

The genocide destroyed Rwanda’s economy, severely depleted the workforce and forced the population deeper into poverty. Rwanda relies heavily on international aid.

Agriculture
Rwanda’s fertile soils and plentiful rainfall are ideal for agriculture, although heavy rain and deforestation have a detrimental effect on soil fertility. Tea and coffee for export are grown on steep mountain slopes.

Most families own less than one hectare of land on which they grow sorghum, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, beans and bananas. Family lands are divided between sons, so the average plot is getting smaller.

Education
The Government of Rwanda has committed itself to rebuilding and improving the education system and making it accessible to all children. School is officially compulsory for children aged 7 to 15. While more than 75 per cent of children attend primary school, only 14 per cent go on to secondary education.

Health
There is a shortage of trained medical staff and facilities in Rwanda. Major health problems include HIV and AIDS, malnutrition, malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid and schistosomiasis. Nearly 30 per cent of people don’t have access to a safe water source.

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Rwanda COUNTRY UPDATE

REFRESHING LIQUID

“In sweet water there is a pleasure ungrudged by anyone.” Ovid, 13 AD

There are few things more refreshing than a glass of water. In New Zealand we take our easy access to fresh, clean water for granted. In Rwanda, and many other countries, getting a glass of safe drinking water is much more complex than turning on a tap.

The availability of safe drinking water in Rwanda doesn’t meet the needs of its nine million people. Although this compact country is crossed by rivers, has 23 lakes and many swamps, it is the most densely populated country in Africa and the hilly terrain makes it difficult and time consuming for people to access water.

In rural areas, women and children spend a lot of their time walking to collect water – sometimes spending several hours a day in the dry season. In urban areas, the most time-consuming part can be waiting in line at the water kiosk, and it can cost more than a day’s wage to buy just half the daily quantity recommended by the World Health Organisation. Unreliable electricity supply means water pumps do not always work, and water is not regularly available.

For the 26 per cent of the population without access to a safe water source, contaminated swamps, ponds and streams are their only options. As a result, water-borne diseases – which can cause life-threatening diarrhoea – are common. Poor access to sanitary latrines can contaminate water and spread disease.

With an average annual rainfall of 1200mm (comparable to Auckland, the lower North Island or Southland), rainwater could provide another source of drinking water, but many of the tanks around the nation are in poor repair.

Improving access to sufficient, safe drinking water is one of the ways World Vision assists the children of Rwanda and their families.

The people of New Zealand-funded Tubehoneza Area Development Programme (ADP) are among those who lack water. More than 45,000 people, including about 2,000 sponsored children, live in the rural and urban areas this ADP encompasses, on the outskirts of Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali.

People from Tubehoneza obtain water from four seasonal natural water sources, which only contain water in the wet season, or buy from water kiosks. More than half of the water tanks in Tubehoneza are damaged and unusable.

World Vision’s goal for this community is to increase the supply of safe water to the point where 15 litres of water per person per day is available throughout the year, within a 30-minute walk of every home.

To do this, World Vision is constructing rainwater-harvesting tanks in schools and public tanks to store pumped water, so water can be obtained even when there is no electricity. World Vision is also renovating natural water sources and wells so they cannot be contaminated; in many cases, this means concreting an area around the source.

Establishing and training water committees is an important aspect of World Vision’s work in improving access to water. As representatives of their communities, these committees learn to manage people’s use of this precious resource. They also maintain and repair the systems so everyone is able to have a cup of clean fresh water whenever they need it.

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