Unilever, a multinational leading consumer goods companies, making and selling around 400 brands in more than 190 countries, launched three water sites built in Munini Sector of Nyaruguru District where residents are now be able to fetch water at Rwf10 per a 20 liter jerry can.
The water facilities that have been constructed in three months are part of Unilever’s project dubbed ‘Sunlight Isoko y’Isuku’ worth Rwf45 million projected to see between 50 and 60 water facilities built in Nyaruguru District.
The water facilities will also serve as shops for cleaning products made by Unilever including soaps sold starting from Rwf50.
Nyaruguru District residents who have started shopping at Sunlight Isoko y’Isuku project sites say the project is a solution to long distances they walked looking for water of which cleanliness they always doubted.
“Before this project was initiated here, access to clean water was really a problem for us. We used to fetch water from stagnant sources in dams at long distances causing children to get late at school,” says Alexis Ntazinda, a resident of Munini Sector.
Désiré Manzi, a 17 year-old boy says the nearest place they could get water is the valley where he travelled for 30 minutes which saw him get tired and get late to school.
“We had no other solution. I sometimes came at the water tap and found so many people which made me get late to school,” Manzi said.
Unilever’s Rwanda Country Director, Kelvin Kuria, says Unilever started Sunlight Isoko y’Isuku Project in order to improve the health of members of the communities where they work.
“For us, Sunlight Isoko y’Isuku Project is a way to show the community members that we work for them. Most of our customers are women and children. We only work aiming at improving their lives and social welfare,” Kelvin Kuria said.
“It will also prevent children from dropping out of school due to long distances they travelled looking for water which would take up to two hours. It will help parents also do other household works,” he added.
Kuria said the Project comes to support the Rwandan Government’s program to see every Rwandan get access to improved drinking water and sanitation facilities by the year 2024.
Only 0,85% of Nyaruguru District residents have water taps at their houses according to the District Mayor, Francois Habitegeko who said, “We are very happy of this project because with no other partners, we as the Government only can’t reach the target to see all of our population get access to clean water.”
Habitegeko said now 70.3% of Nyaruguru District populations have access to improved drinking water and sanitation facilities while only 43% residents get water from not longer than 500 meters, which is in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Unilever is a British-Dutch transnational consumer goods company selling food, beverages, cleaning agents, beauty and personal care products in 190 countries worldwide.
The company started its operations in Rwanda in 2016 where it has two projects including the Tea project launched in Nyaruguru District in 2017 set to employ over 1000 residents with permanent job contracts.
It followed Unilever’s project to sell cleaning products including ‘Sunlight soaps’ traded by Zed Investment Ltd.
Leave a Reply