The Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) and the Rwanda NGOs Forum on HIV/AIDS and Health Promotion have awarded Ruhuha Sector as the most outstanding in Bugesera District for improved hygiene and sanitation practices aimed at eliminating Schistosomiasis (SCH) and Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH).

This follows a two-month campaign and community mobilization conducted by the district and RNGOF under the Interruption of Transmission (IoT) agenda—a pilot program that uses behavioral change best practices to improve hygiene and sanitation.

The program is currently being implemented in Bugesera and Ruhango districts, with a long-term plan to use the results to scale up the approach to 28 other districts across Rwanda.

Conducted in 15 administrative sectors of Bugesera District, the initiative evaluated sectors across five areas: general hygiene in public places (markets, shopping centers, and restaurants), household hygiene, sanitation and hygiene monitoring, functionality of WASH committees, and the number of meetings and activities carried out during the campaign.

Viateur Ndayisabye, the Bugesera District Health Officer, said Ruhuha Sector emerged as the best performer due to strong ownership in organizing and engaging residents in improving water, sanitation, and hygiene practices.

Through the IoT agenda, residents are encouraged to take responsibility for personal and public hygiene. Sector-based competitions in Bugesera and Ruhango districts have focused on reducing environmental risk factors for Schistosomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis.

Representing RNGOF, Dr. Eric Niyongira, the Coordinator of Rwanda’s IoT agenda, said the awards aim to motivate communities to take ownership of hygiene and sanitation programs, which seek to eliminate two of the ten Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Rwanda by 2030.

“We want to see a collective effort in eliminating these diseases, and this requires a change in mindsets. The best practices and outcomes of this pilot program will enable us to scale up so as to meet the set country goals,” Niyongira said.

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), particularly Schistosomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis, remain a public health challenge in Rwanda and are closely linked to poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions. Transmission is driven by unsafe water contact, inadequate sanitation, and weak hygiene practices.

Bugesera and Ruhango districts are priority areas under the IoT agenda, which aims to reduce SCH and STH prevalence to below 2 percent by 2027.

These districts include high-risk settings such as marshlands, rice-farming areas, and fishing communities, where daily activities expose residents to contaminated water and increase the risk of reinfection.

Although mass drug administration has helped reduce infection rates, reinfection persists where WASH behaviors do not improve.

Experience shows that conventional sensitization increases knowledge but does not always lead to lasting behavior change. Communities require motivation, ownership, and social reinforcement to adopt and sustain good practices.

WASH sector-based competitions have proven to be an effective social and behavior change approach by recognizing best-performing sectors, showcasing good practices, and encouraging others to replicate them. This creates positive peer pressure, community pride, and accountability.

The approach aligns with Rwanda’s sector-based governance system and complements the IoT agenda, making it a practical and sustainable strategy to improve WASH behaviors and reduce the transmission of SCH and STH.

A campaign report from Bugesera shows notable progress within two months of community engagement. A total of 591 public places were visited and assessed for latrines and waste disposal facilities. Of these, 591 had latrines, 589 had waste bins, and 436 had latrines that met required standards.

Additionally, 80,076 households were assessed for sanitation and hygiene indicators, including latrine availability, animal shelters, handwashing facilities (Kandagira Ukarabe), and safe drinking water storage. Among these, 79,944 households had latrines, 50,944 had handwashing facilities, 78,857 treated drinking water, and 18,219 were connected to the water supply network.

All sectors conducted awareness campaigns and carried out 60 monitoring activities. WASH committees were found in all cells, although some were not holding regular meetings.

During the campaign, 18 new toilets were constructed, 62 were renovated, and several others are pending completion.

Bugesera District Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs, Yvette Imanishimwe, said the district has made significant efforts to improve public hygiene and sanitation, particularly through the construction of toilets. She encouraged residents to adopt best practices such as regular handwashing and maintaining clean environments.

“It is important to have hygiene in families as a key tool in fighting diseases. We should have clean homes, plant trees, and pass on these practices to our children,” Imanishimwe said.

She added that Ruhuha Sector’s win is a victory for the entire district and emphasized that, through collaboration with development partners such as RNGOF, the achievements will be sustained.

“We should maintain these achievements and a winning spirit in hygiene practices because without hygiene and sanitation, our economic achievements will be rendered useless when people suffer from diseases,” she said.

At the awarding ceremony held April 22, 2026 in Bugesera , Ruhuha sector received 173 new iron sheets that will be used in the roofing of the newly constructed home based toilets.

The Executive Secretary of Ruhuha Sector, Marthe Uwamugira said that this award will add on to current efforts of promoting more community engagement in driving hygiene and sanitation practice, but also having local ownership and sustainability.