Since 2024, MSF has been distributing safe drinking water thanks to the installation of a solar-powered water pumping system at the Nyamitanga health centre in Cibitoke. This has led to a dramatic reduction in cholera and other waterborne diseases. In this cholera-endemic area, residents used to rely on stagnant water or rivers, particularly for cooking and washing. According to Pascasie Nahimana, responsible of the Nyamitanga health centre, during the mango harvest season in November, the facility used to treat 200 cholera patients per month. Today, it records an average of four cases over the same period.  

This water source also supplies the 2,500 students’ school, and the villages surrounding the health facility. The impact is huge: the distances people have to travel to fetch drinking water have now been reduced, water is available all day long, hygiene conditions have improved and there has been a drastic reduction in waterborne diseases such as cholera. It is estimated that 35,000 people benefit from this access to water.

MSF stresses the importance of improving access to water in a sustainable manner in Cibitoke and Ndava health districts, as well as across the rest of the country. To prevent and limit the spread of cholera, the government and humanitarian organisations should step up their efforts to ensure the population has access to safe drinking water.