The Power of Partnership

Inauguration of Gahombo water point, in Partnership with Direct-Aid Rwanda - Nyarugenge District.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much, said Helen Keller. We couldn't agree more with her. Now more than ever, social businesses need to be in partnership and collaborate with many stakeholders to address the social issues affecting our communities and our world.

2.2 billion people around the world still lack access to safely managed water. Water is a necessity and should be accessible to all. Governments on their own cannot solve the water crisis and ensure access to safely managed water for all. Private businesses, organizations, donors, and water users need to work together to be able to meet the water demand, deliver on the social impact and meet the SDG 6 goal.

At Water Access Rwanda, we value our partners because they help us reach as many people as possible to improve their lives through access to safe water, but we also help them reach their goals. Either being financial help, expertise, human capital, etc., we all work together to achieve a common goal. Even though some of our partners’ goals may change, there are partners with whom we always collaborate. For instance, we are partnering with 7 Districts of Rwanda who help us to get access to boreholes to be rehabilitated and we keep them informed about the ongoing operation, monitoring, and maintenance of the water points from the rehabilitated boreholes. This help the Districts to ensure that communities in most need of safe water and who live in underserved areas are now having access to safe water. We have now 321 water points, all thanks to the districts for facilitating our work.

Throughout the partnership term, it’s fundamental to maintain good relations with our partners. We update them on the progress of our obligations which helps them stay informed but also accountable for their commitment and maintain the trust they have for us. We share our progress monthly, quarterly, or on a need basis. If there are any challenges we are facing, they are communicated and often help us address them. For instance, we are partnering with IDEGO (Ideas in Motion), an organization that connects Rwandan entrepreneurs with English-speaking, highly skilled, and experienced students and young professionals from all over the world. Each year, IDEGO connects us with one or two professionals to assist our team in addressing any challenge our organization is facing.

The journey to solving the water crisis is still long and the demand is becoming more and more. As of today, with the help of our partners, we have managed to reach more than 80,000 people with our solutions and we are still counting. Join us and help us transform Rural Africa by revolutionizing the water industry at the same time impacting so many lives. Reach out to us at info@warwanda.com.