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Overview

The health and livelihoods of Rwandans have greatly improved since the genocide in 1994. Men, women and children enjoy better access to lifesaving health services. Despite these improvements, problems persist.

In Rwanda, one child in ten does not live to the age of five. Rwandan children frequently suffer from malnutrition. According to the 2005 Demographic and Health Survey (2005 DHS), 23 percent of children under the age of five are underweight and 4 percent are severely underweight. Women in Rwanda give birth to an average of six children and the use of modern methods of family planning remains low (Rwanda is already one of the most densely populated countries in the world). Fifty five percent of women deliver their babies at home, outside of a health facility. The entire population is at risk for malaria. Rwanda also faces a generalized AIDS epidemic, with an HIV prevalence of three percent among adults.

Results and Response

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) dedicated nearly $111 million in fiscal year (FY) 2008 to increase the quantity and improve the quality of health services available to Rwandans. USAID supports the Government of Rwanda’s initiatives to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, increase the quality and use of family planning and reproductive health services, improve maternal and child health and develop the overall health sector. Health programs create hope and save lives.