Like most cities in developing countries, Kigali is experiencing rapid urbanisation leading to an increase in the urban population and rapid growth in the size and number of informal settlements. More than 60% of the city’s population resides in these settlements, where they experience inadequate and poor quality urban services including sanitation. This article discusses the issues and constraints related to the provision of sustainable sanitation in the informal settlements in Kigali. Two informal settlements (Gatsata and Kimisagara) were selected for the study, which used a mixed method approach for data collection. The research found that residents experienced multiple problems because of poor sanitation and that the main barrier to improved sanitation was cost. Findings from this study can be used by the city authorities in the planning of effective sanitation intervention strategies for communities in informal settlements.
Throughout Africa, the population in urban areas is increasing rapidly beyond the capacity and the resources of the cities to accommodate the people. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of urban dwellers live in informal settlements served by inadequate sanitation facilities. These areas present unique challenges to the provision of sanitation, and there is inadequate information on access to improved facilities. This paper reports findings of a study undertaken in low-income informal settlements using mixed methods to assess access to sanitation and identify the barriers to household improved sanitation facilities. Although more than half (59.7%) of the respondents reported using sanitation facilities that are included in the JMP definition of improved sanitation, a high proportion of these facilities did not provide " access to basic sanitation" and less than 5% of all the respondents did not report issues related to sustainable access to basic sanitation. The findings highlight the urgent need to develop a more specific and strategic interventions for each low-income informal settlement, to upscale the sustainable access and use of improved sanitation in urban centres.
This study provides a situation analysis of enrolment and graduation rates between female and male students in public and private higher learning institutions in Rwanda. The study tracked graduation rates of female and male students for nine years (2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) services are examined from the Political Economy Analysis (PEA) perspective in Rwanda. Through a participatory qualitative approach, the findings show that water and sanitation services have been relatively low on the political agenda in Rwanda. There is a shortage of qualified employees at both local and national levels who should be responsible for the WaSH sector. Other major PEA issues include limited accurate, reliable and timely WaSH data to inform decision-making, sustainability of WaSH services and ineffective decentralisation. A range of strategic entry points are suggested in the paper to address these PEA issues.
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