Clean water is only the beginning.
In rural Rwanda, access to clean water is only the beginning of what families need to live healthy, dignified lives. Through its WASH program, 20 Liters in partnership with World Relief understands that lasting change also depends on hygiene education, sanitation and strong community leadership. That belief comes to life through Community Hygiene Clubs — grassroots groups empowering neighbors to care for one another and transform their communities from within.
Every month in Mugesera Sector, more than 2,000 volunteers gather across 33 Community Hygiene Clubs, meeting regularly to learn, share and act. Going beyond education, these clubs mobilize communities to improve sanitation facilities, adopt healthy practices and ensure that no family is left behind.
For Marie Goreth and Anastase, an elderly couple caring for their two young grandchildren, this community-led approach changed their daily reality. The family lives in a small village in Mugesera Sector, where for years they faced the deeply personal challenge of not having a functional latrine. Their old toilet had collapsed, and while they managed to dig a new pit, they lacked the materials and strength to rebuild it properly. With no alternative, they were forced to rely on their neighbors whenever nature called.
“It was shameful for us and inconvenient for them,” Marie Goreth shared. “We had no choice but to ask to use other people’s toilets.”
The power of community.
This daily struggle stripped the family of privacy and dignity until members of a local hygiene club stepped in.
Abadahigwa Ku Isuku, which means Champions of Hygiene, is one of the Community Hygiene Clubs trained by World Relief using the Community-Based Environmental Health Promotion (CBEHP) model and supported by 20 Liters’ WASH project. Meeting twice a month, the club combines education with practical action. Members discuss hygiene, sanitation and nutrition and then work together to put solutions into place for the most vulnerable households.
When the club learned about Marie Goreth and Anastase’s situation, they acted.
Freedom and dignity restored.
“They helped us build a toilet when we could not do it ourselves,” Marie Goreth said. “Our family of four did not have a toilet and depended on neighbors. This club restored our dignity. I am deeply grateful.”
The new toilet was carefully constructed on a solid foundation, complete with a door, roof and a tippy tap for handwashing. For the first time in years, the family had a safe, private and hygienic space of their own.
