Since it arrived in 2004, Engineers Without Borders-Rwanda Chapter has thrived in the capable hands of the University of Wisconsin-Madison student body. On top of rigorous academic curricula, EWB-UW members meet weekly with their peers and professional mentors to discover, define, and design solutions to improve the quality of life in Rwanda.
Clinic Project: Need
The Gashonyi Health Clinic, formerly this Rwandan community’s technical school, is currently operated by two nurses and a nurse's assistant. This staff handles 24-50 medical patients per day, with limited space, equipment, and resources. The most pressing demand at the Gashonyi Health Clinic involves space; the facility has only small 4 wards, two of which can support patient care. An estimated 20 patients require overnight observation, though the clinic has only 8 beds to serve them. Secondary needs at the clinic include electrical, plumbing, and ventilation systems. Reliable function of these systems could create an environment where improved technology and increased sanitation allow the limited staff to focus on curing diseases at hand, instead of troubleshooting secondary problems.
The EWB-USA Response
The Rwanda chapter of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Engineers Without Borders, in partnership with Jean-Paul BAZANSANGA and Innocent KAMBANDA , is working to address the needs at Gashonyi. Information about current clinical operation, governmental regulation and incentives, climatic behavior, building techniques and cost, as well as NGO activity in the area is being collected to frame the discussion of a new clinic construction project. EWB-UW is also engaged in conversation with experts in the fields of medicine, global health, architecture, and biomedical instrumentation in order to assemble a feasible plan for implementation and local maintenance of a functional clinical operation to benefit Gashonyi and surrounding areas.