After a few days doing the doable at the youth center in Nyabiheke refugee camp, we are going across camp to the busiest place – the health center. This health center is the sole health facility for over 14,000 refugees.
“Each and every day, it is this team that ensures the facility is running,” explains Bernad, ARC’s Country Director in Rwanda. Our staff work tirelessly to provide the best care. They’re always thinking about their customers – mainly mothers and their young children – and how to make their experience at the health center even better. Their waiting area is always full and mothers sometimes wait with their kids for up to three hours before they are seen.
So, the team posed an idea. “The wait can be long and the kids get restless, they need a space to play and be safe,” says Jacques, an ARC Rwanda team member. It would take time and some serious manpower, but with everyone pitching in – our construction team, members from the community and the health center staff – we knew we could do the doable. So, we set to work creating the only kid-friendly space in Nyabiheke. First things first, the ground next to the waiting area was leveled, then a base for the cement floor was laid.
Once the floor was set, it was time to construct the walls, creating an enclosed space . “It’s great that we can even connect this space to the existing waiting area – the kids will be within their mother’s sight and she can relax, knowing that there her child is safe, playing and even learning,” explained Jacques.
With just a few inexpensive building materials, some grit and dedication, the team’s idea was becoming reality.
