Rwanda is one of the poorest countries in the world. Following the genocide in 1994 of almost 1 million people, many of the 34 hospitals and 188 health centres were looted, and most of the staff were killed or exiled.
This loss of health professionals has not only dramatically cut healthcare service provision, but meant that preventive health information is not disseminated.
- 88% of the Rwandan population live on less than $2 per day
- Life expectancy is just 45 years
- Only 17% of women aged 15-49 (or their partners) use contraception
- Health indicators are very poor
Health Poverty Action is using radio programmes to improve health education in Rwanda. We are training a local non-governmental organisation, Urunana Development Communication, to produce and broadcast the award-winning Urunana radio soap to the Great Lakes region.
Urunana aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health of women and young people.
We are extending radio health education in the South of Rwanda through the Urunana rural extension project, we are expanding radio listenership among rural women and young people, to maximise the benefits of the Urunana radio soap.
