'Water Access Rwanda' founder on choosing the needy over a well paying job

At only 22, Christelle Kwizera is certain she is well on her way to living her dream. After attaining industrial knowledge in mechanical engineering at Oklahoma Christian University in the United States of America, she came back to Rwanda to work on a water project that would provide access to clean water to needy Rwandans. She shared with Women Today’s Sharon Kantengwa the story about her journey and zeal to help the less fortunate. What was the inspiration behind ‘Water Access Rwanda’? Christelle Kwizera. (Courtesy) ‘Water Access Rwanda’ is a social enterprise that offers water solutions to Rwandans and its neighbours in Goma, Bukavu and even Uganda. The inspiration for this project came after seeing how society struggles with water and spends a lot of money purifying it by boiling it or buying bottled water; and for some, they simply use it unclean. In rural areas, people walk long distances to get water and they end up with water borne diseases, which they think is normal. I realised that it was a big problem and I had the potential to solve it, so I decided to take action. It must be tough starting something that serious at such a young age. Tell us about it. At university, I did a lot of activism and came back home to impact society, which is why I founded ‘Water Access Rwanda’ just as a project. We came in the summer of 2014 and drilled 10 wells to provide water and we had about 50,000 beneficiaries in Goma and Bugesera districts and drilled three more wells that year. In August we registered ‘Water Access Rwanda’ as an enterprise because I didn’t want it to be a onetime project. I went back to school for a year and after getting training, we now sell filters, do Vertical Electric Sounding (VES), which determines the conductivity underground before we drill. Right now we have 12 full time employees. What are some of the sacrifices you have had to make in order to see this project through? I am a female mechanical engineer and I get so many job offers with great pay, money I am not making in this business. I gave up the high income for social enterprise. I am not interested in making a lot of money but I want to help people. The other thing is investing in other people and sharing my skills. When our company needs to get training in a certain field, I don’t go for the training but send an employee to get that training. However, the opportunities so far are better than the sacrifices that I have had to make. What do you think is the difference between being self employed and working for someone else? Believe me, after seeing how good it is to work for myself, I will never work for anyone else. One of the benefits is that you have to control your income. For example, you may sacrifice some things for your business because you have the passion, and the success of your business is your success. Another advantage is being able to control your time. I feel like I am living my dream and I don’t have to worry because everyday I’m creating something amazing with my business. Working for someone else is helping them achieve their dreams but I am also achieving my dreams. How do you obtain funding for this venture? It is through people’s trust. It is about understanding the problem and giving a good solution. I present my project to sponsors who offer funds after they are convinced that our services will provide water for people who need it. A lot of people have tried to solve the water crisis for a long time and wasn’t working so we tried a new solution which helped gain trust. We are Rwandans helping Rwandans and I have the technical knowledge which is why I gain their trust. What is your biggest fear? I used to fear failure but now I accept whatever happens to me and I know that whatever happens is for a reason. The country has a lot to achieve and I worry that the young people don’t take ownership of the country’s dreams to help us get to our next achievement. I also worry for the lives of the people who don’t have access to clean water which is why I work so hard to provide solutions to their problems. What is your philosophy in life? The more you use the ability the more you get. Through the story of the talents in the Bible, I am convinced that if you put some ability to one scale, you can achieve a lot. Any advice you would like to pass on to young girls and women? They should trust in themselves and find their inner selves as women. Some women tend to rely on other people’s opinions because it is what culture has taught us. They shouldn’t let people make decisions for them because in the end, all those voices will go and they will remain with themselves. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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'Water Access Rwanda' founder on choosing the needy over a well paying job