Rubavu, 30 July 2024 – The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with technical support from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), have announced the successful conclusion of the “Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Health Promotion Sensitization on Zoonotic and Other Communicable Diseases” project.

With a budget over 2.5 million USD, the three-year initiative has significantly enhanced water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and promoted health across the East African region.

The initiative has achieved remarkable milestones, including the installation and renovation of 43 fixed handwashing facilities at Points of Entry and border hotspots of EAC Partner States in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Comprehensive health promotion activities have reached over 6 million individuals living in border communities encouraging protective health and hygiene behaviors to prevent the spread of zoonotic and water-borne infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and Ebola.

Hon. Ariik Aguer Malueth, the Deputy Secretary-General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors of EAC Secretariat stated “proper health and hygiene facilities and services at the regional points is a critical factor in the integration pillars of Customs Union and Common market as has been demonstrated by COVID-19 and other communicable diseases such as Ebola.”

“I urge Partner States to promote use of the facilities that have been installed and put in place measures of support such as provision of clean water at the points of entry and the authorities to ensure appropriate regular maintenance’’ 

Funded by the German Government through GIZ, this initiative underscores Germany’s unwavering commitment to ensuring inclusive development and health equity. H.E. Heike Uta Dettmann, the Ambassador of Germany to Rwanda stressed the need for Partner States to take ownership of the facilities to ensure sustainability stating, “ownership will ensure a guaranteed decent and healthy future for our children.”

“43 high-standard handwashing facilities have been installed at points of entry and border hotspots across all EAC partner states, significantly enhancing access to essential hygiene practices. At all these border crossings, community engagement initiatives have educated and empowered individuals living in border communities on the importance of hygiene and health practices, helping to curb the spread of infectious and zoonotic diseases, including COVID-19, MPox and Ebola.”

“The movement of people – including across borders and within countries – is one vehicle through which diseases spread,” explained Ash Carl, IOM Rwanda Chief of Mission. “With human mobility expected to increase as the factors that cause people to migrate multiply, it’s critical to support better health outcomes, by strengthening border officials’ capacities, conducting hygiene awareness campaigns, and enhancing border health screening and referral systems.”

At the closing ceremony, the EAC and IOM also handed over two handwashing stations and highlighted the critical linkages between human mobility and health, emphasizing the importance of robust WASH infrastructure in preventing the spread of diseases. By addressing the health needs of mobile populations and border communities, the initiative laid a strong foundation for future interventions aimed at enhancing public health and resilience in East Africa.

The closing ceremony, held in Rubavu, Rwanda, brought high-level representatives from the EAC, GIZ and IOM as well as national focal points from relevant Ministries of Health, Infrastructure, Water and EAC Affairs from Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Delegates from Burundi and DRC also participated online. The event officially handed over the handwashing facilities, shared best practices, and discussed strategies for sustaining WASH  initiatives and disease prevention in the EAC.

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For more information, please contact:

EAC

Florian Mutabazi, fmutabazi@eachq.org +255 785 288 428

IOM

In Rwanda:  Robert Kovacs, rkovacs@iom.int

In Nairobi: Yvonne Ndege, yndege@iom.int

GIZ

David Mbulumi, david.mbulumi@giz.de +255 272 050 124