OffGridBox: Power and Clean Water for Rural Clinics

Water scarcity around the globe has been greatly exacerbated by climate change. This situation is particularly bad in Rwanda, where severe drought has been combined with extreme rain and floods in recent years. In most rural parts of the country, clean water is not available. This lack of access to clean water is the main cause of illness and diseases. Over 85% of diseases treated at Health Posts in rural areas are water-borne diseases. Rural citizens' only choice is to fetch and use untreated water from rivers or rain for drinking and cooking. They often cannot afford to treat it, let alone buy bottled water. Deforestation, caused by overconsumption and leading to further climate change, means that biofuels are lacking to boil the water before drinking it. With the current extreme weather situation that Rwanda is facing, the situation and effect on human health is likely to get worse.