Do people have access to clean water in Rwanda?

Access to clean water in Rwanda is a growing problem. Of the 12.5 million people in Rwanda, it is estimated that only 57% have access to clean drinking water. That means that the remainder of the people need to walk over 30 minutes to find a source for clean, uncontaminated water.1


What problems result from this lack of water?

Most often, women and children hold the burden of water collection, which sometimes takes hours each day.

While these women are collecting water, they cannot be working or raising their families. The children who are helping cannot be in school. Two of the primary keys to breaking the cycle of poverty are income-generating work and education. When women and children are spending time collecting water, they are not working or going to school.

When travel to clean water isn’t possible, people resort to drinking water that is contaminated, which results in waterborne disease.

When water pollution is present, drinking water is often contaminated with pathogens that cause disease and even death. People are also unable to stay hydrated, which causes a myriad of other health problems.


Sanitation is also a key problem in Rwanda.

Only 64% of the population has access to toilets. This presents the problem of defecation polluting the water they do have and leads to non-hygienic practices.


Only 5% of the households in Rwanda have a place for handwashing

— which is essential for good health and keeping diseases from spreading.


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