{"id":2000123472,"date":"2026-08-24T13:56:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T11:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000123472"},"modified":"2026-08-24T13:59:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T11:59:23","slug":"how-koralink-is-bringing-essential-health-products-closer-to-underserved-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/how-koralink-is-bringing-essential-health-products-closer-to-underserved-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"How \u201cKoraLink\u201d Is bringing essential health products closer to underserved communities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KoraLink sets out to close that gap by working through young people from within the communities themselves. Agents in the programme sell essential health products and bring them closer to the people who need them, while earning an income and building their own livelihoods in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KoraLink is a collaborative partnership between the Mastercard Foundation, The Commons Project Foundation Africa (TCP Africa), Society for Family Health Rwanda (SFH Rwanda) and ICT Chamber. It aims to help financially disadvantaged youth into self-employment while using technology to bring essential health products and services, including malaria prevention, HIV and STI prevention, and hygiene products, closer to the underserved communities where they live. It focuses on people aged 18 to 35, particularly women and those in rural parts of Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agents are trained on the product knowledge, on basic business management, and on the programme’s app, the KoraLink Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They start with an interest-free investment of Rwf360,000, released in installments and repaid progressively into a sustainability fund that supports new agents as the programme expands. Through the Marketplace, they order stock, track inventory, and manage transactions in a digital wallet designed to encourage saving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young people turning opportunities into livelihoods<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Ngarama Sector, Gatsibo District, 27-year-old Bamurere Sylvie says KoraLink gave her a way into business. She heard about it through the Ngarama Sector youth platform, applied, later invited for an interview, was selected, and onboarded. Within her first three months, she says, she had earned Rwf58,000 in profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That income gave her the means to think beyond selling. “I have a goal of becoming a livestock farmer. I love keeping livestock, and I want to be a businesswoman, farmer and livestock farmer,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Rugarama Sector, Gatsibo District, 26-year-old Niyokwizera Isaac started with a capital of Rwf50,000. He would buy products, sell them, and reinvest the proceeds, building his capital up until he could now order stock worth as much as Rwf200,000. He has also put his profits into nearly a hectare of farmland, buying fertiliser and preparing for the maize season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Bamurere and Niyokwizera, the health products are a stepping stone to earn and improve their livelihoods. But the work has a second purpose: reaching people who live far from the markets and services that urban areas take for granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing the market closer to the community<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In rural areas, agents also have to introduce products people may not be used to, and work against the stigma attached to buying some of them, condoms in particular. Often that means going to where people are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because many community members are not active on social media, agents go to markets, homes, and other gathering places to explain the products and make them available, so people can get them without waiting for market day or travelling long distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenty-five-year-old Shakira Mwiza works this way in Rwimiyaga Sector. She began by selling KoraLink products in her neighbourhood, actively engaging community members, with many of them being students at a nearby school who buy sanitary pads from her. She then used the profits to buy a computer for Rwf180,000 and started offering digital services. The Rwimiyaga Sector administration gave her space to work from the sector offices, sparing her rent while keeping her accessible to the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam Gatunge, Executive Secretary of Rwimiyaga Sector, said the sector will continue work with the agents and to see them reach more people and widen their range of products. “You are helping people access clean water, contributing to the fight against teenage pregnancies and preventing sexually transmitted diseases,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting products where they are needed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KoraLink’s products include condoms, sanitary pads, water-treatment sachets such as Sur’Eau, and other essentials. For Jeannine Uwiringiyimana, an agent in Nyagatare District, the value of that is clearest for someone with no market nearby. “In some rural areas, major markets where you can find everything may only open once or twice a week. Think of a girl in Nyagatare who needs services like these; how will she access them?” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The harder part, she says, is perception. “Although these products are things people need in their daily lives, it is still difficult because someone who wants condoms may feel embarrassed. Sometimes, we who provide them are also called unpleasant names. But that does not discourage us,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same holds for something as ordinary as sanitary pads. In some areas women still travel long distances to buy them, and others would rather buy from a shop than from someone they know. Part of the agents’ work is making these products easy, and comfortable, to get close to home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winning community trust<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Active agents are issued a programme ID and a branded vest so communities can recognise them. Onboarding also prepares them to explain the products, correct misconceptions, and handle the discomfort that can come with selling health items, condoms especially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, much of the work is agent-led. With local leaders helping to open doors and lend credibility, agents introduce themselves and the programme directly to their communities: through community dialogues (inteko z’abaturage) and umuganda, market-day engagements (umunsi w’isoko), radio shows, and JADF Open Days. The aim is for agents to become known and trusted, so that getting an essential health product becomes a normal part of community life rather than something people feel embarrassed to seek out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A growing programme<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KoraLink began recruitment in Musanze and Nyagatare in August 2025 with about 79 agents. It now runs in 11 districts with 2,278 agents, with ongoing recruitment that aims to reach all 30 Districts in Rwanda. By 2028 the programme expects to contribute to 41,122 direct and indirect jobs, including 11,762 agents, with women making up nearly 80 per cent of them and 70 per cent drawn from rural areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Richard Gakuba, Executive Secretary of TCP Africa, says the programme was built to solve two problems at once. “When we started designing this programme together with our partners, we wanted to address the issue of unemployment for youth but also find a solution to the challenge of getting essential health products to hard to reach communities,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the next phase of the implementation, the programme intends to expand into new districts and take on last-mile delivery of a wider product range, while organising agents into savings and investment groups, setting up sector-level KoraLink hubs, and coaching them toward gig work where KoraLink Agents can earn additional income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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KoraLink agents take health products directly to communities, helping residents access essentials without travelling long distances to major markets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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With 2,278 agents now operating across 11 districts, KoraLink is expanding its network of young entrepreneurs bringing essential health products closer to rural communities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Through the KoraLink Marketplace, young agents can order stock, track inventory and manage transactions while serving their communities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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KoraLink is creating opportunities for young people to earn an income while helping underserved communities access essential health products.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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KoraLink agents use community gatherings, markets and other local spaces to introduce residents to products available through the programme.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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KoraLink agents are helping turn last-mile access to essential health products into an income-generating opportunity for young people.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Local engagement is central to KoraLink\u2019s approach, with agents building trust through community dialogues, markets and other public gatherings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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KoraLink is creating opportunities for young people to earn an income while helping underserved communities access essential health products.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In rural areas, getting a needed health product is not always simply a matter of having the money to buy it. Sometimes it means travelling, waiting for market day, or looking far from home for a place that stocks it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000123482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000123472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000123482,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/55477222035_13b0ebe766_h.jpg","alt":"","caption":"KoraLink is creating opportunities for young people to earn an income while helping underserved communities access essential health products.","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1600,"height":1067,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/55477222035_13b0ebe766_h.jpg","width":1600,"height":1067},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/55477222035_13b0ebe766_h.jpg","width":1600,"height":1067},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/55477222035_13b0ebe766_h.jpg","width":1600,"height":1067},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/55477222035_13b0ebe766_h.jpg","width":1600,"height":1067},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/55477222035_13b0ebe766_h.jpg","width":1600,"height":1067}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000123472"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000123486,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123472\/revisions\/2000123486"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000123482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000123472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000123472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000123472"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000123472"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000123472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}