Residents of Gicumbi District on Saturday built a 12-kilometre feeder road connecting Nyankenke Sector to Kigogo Health Centre.

This was during the monthly community work, Umuganda, in which about 4,000 people participated.

The district’s Umuganda was partly sponsored by World Vision Rwanda.

Cynthia Labi, the deputy national director of World Vision Rwanda, said the road is a source of development in the area since it connected them to a health facility.

"Having a good road facilitates quick movement and it is important for the community…residents cannot have good health when the access road to a health centre is impassable,’ she said.

Labi pledged continued support to communities in Gicumbi to help eradicate poverty.

Residents said the new road will also help ease transportation of their produce to the market.

"We used to sell our produce at giveaway prices as we had no choice, but now we will use the feeder road to take our harvest to the market easily, said Jean Buseruka, a resident of Nyankenke Sector.

Access to healthcare

The residents said before they had to use the traditional hammock (injobyi) to take patients to the health centre because of poor road and some could die on the way before reaching the health centre.

"I am short of words with which to express my joy. At least an ambulance will come and take us to the health centre, and we will not suffer or delay to get to healthcare anymore,” said Marthe Byukusenge, a mother of five.

Stanislas Kagenzi, the vice mayor of Gicumbi in charge of finance and economic affairs, commended World Vision for the valuable partnership.

He also thanked the youth grouped under Rwanda Good Governance Promotion and Youth Development for their contribution, urging them to embrace the spirit of volunteerism for community development.

"The solution is in our hands, together we can make it,” he said, adding that many feeder roads that connect to production areas will be worked on through community initiatives.