News

This July we found more families to receive a new house from us. The families have to collect small bricks themselves and help to build the house, which is sponsored by one of our sponsors.

In July, we also installed solar panels in 14 of our older houses so that the families not only have electricity, but also have light in their homes. For this purpose, a small solar panel was installed on the roof and connected to a box inside the house. Four light bulbs were connected to this Box and distributed to the rooms in the house. The families were very happy to receive the Solar panels and also helped with the installation of them.

Here are a few impressions of the house construction, the families and the installation of the solar panels:

Trainees from the Upstalsboom hotel spend a week in Gikonko and lend a hand everywhere.

By the end of 2023, we have performed 1111 hydrocephalus procedures in the last 21 years!!!

This is only possible thanks to your donations and your support!

THANK YOU!!!

Meanwile over 2000 patients have been tested positive in the country, 5 fatalities were reported. Every day 20-30 or more cases positive are added.

Rusizi is still in a close look-down. For the rest of the country travalling is possible, during day time for strikt reason. Facemask are mandatory, and not following this laws is striclty punished. Bars and restaurants are open during day time. Religious ceremnies are allowed under strict advises and limitation of participants. 

Rwanda has recorded 243 positive Covid 19 cases since the beginning of the corona crisis. 104 patients have now recovered and 139 are still under treatment. No serious cases are known so far.  Most corona cases are currently found in the capital Kigali or in border regions, especially on the border to Tanzania. Within the country, no new infections have been known for a week. 

At the beginning of the crisis, the government of Rwanda tried to stop the spread of the virus with drastic measures. In Rwanda, for example, a curfew was imposed and the borders were closed. Due to first successes and a decrease of the infection rate, first measures could now be eased. The curfew now only applies at night. Overland travel from Kigali to the provinces is still prohibited and the borders remain closed. Churches, bars and sports facilities, as well as schools, remain closed until further notice. 

Although these measures have been successful in reducing the spread of the virus, other problems have grown again during this period. For example, the number of hungry people, especially children, has risen sharply in recent weeks, as the population of Rwanda is dependent on food supplies from abroad as well as visits to the market and income from the sale of its own products. Hunger could thus become a much worse problem in the coming months than the corona virus itself. 

Rwanda will also feel the economic consequences of the crisis, which could slow down the successful development of the past years. 

In our hospital, too, we are trying to master the crisis as best we can. For example, we have been sewing respiratory masks for our employees for several weeks now, set up a small quarantine station on our premises right at the beginning of the crisis and are trying to fill our stocks to be able to cope with the expected supply shortages. Before entering the hospital, every patient's fever is measured and all our patients are regularly tested for critical symptoms. Fortunately, no Covid-19 cases have been reported in our hospital or district. Nevertheless, we remain vigilant and try to protect ourselves and those entrusted to us as much as possible.

Thanks to the spontenous assistance from German Ambassy, and later on from other friend we had the possibility to distribute beens, rice and Soap to the population in need