Rwanda Bans Plastic Bags to Protect the Environment

Rwanda has made big advancements in protecting the environment, and one of the ways it does this, is they have banned plastic bags. Here in the USA that might sound like an unthinkable thing, as most of us feel like we can’t be bothered with anything else for whatever reason, and a lot of us even save them and use them for various other things. But Rwanda is serious about the environment, and saving lives. The cost of recycling the plastic bags became too much, and people would end up burning them just to get rid of them, and this would release toxins into the air. Plastic bags also ended up causing big disasters in the past which took the lives of many. Having a cleaner environment also helps bring tourism to the country, which helps improve the economy. For all of these reasons, other countries should take steps towards at least reducing the amount of plastic bags used.





Sources:

Werft, Meghan. "How Eliminating Plastic Bags in Rwanda Saves Lives and the Economy." Global Citizen. Global Poverty Project, Inc, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

Police Corruption isn’t tolerated in Rwanda

Rwanda has a good reputation in corruption, and is considered the third least corrupt country in Sub-Saharan Africa according to a survey by Transparency International. In an effort to keep this reputation and to ultimately keep the citizens of Rwanda in the right hands, Rwanda’s government has fired 200 police officers that it deemed corrupt in some way. Rwandan police spokesperson, Theos Badege, said “It is a national policy to ensure zero tolerance to graft.” More countries should take on this stance, and they should use Rwanda as an example to see that only good can come from not tolerating any corruption from anyone in the force that is supposed to protect and serve it’s citizens, who are also in the position to take advantage of people and the system since they are the ones enforcing the law. This is also a cost effective measure, as it is estimated by the African Union that $50 billion disappears as a result of corruption across all of Africa every year.





Sources:

"Rwanda Fires 200 Police Officers Accused of Corruption." News24. IABSA, 6 Feb. 2017. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.

Rwanda’s Fight Against Malaria

Rwanda is in the midst of a rough battle with malaria. The disease has taken the lives of over 400 people in Rwanda in 2015. The number of infections has quadrupled between 2012 and 2015, affecting the lives of about two million people. It is estimated by the World Health Organization that 88 percent of all cases of malaria in the world and 90 percent of deaths caused by malaria rest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The country is focusing on preventing mosquitoes from being attracted to people by doing things such as covering water supplies, cleaning stagnant water, and using insecticides to keep them away. The country also investing $22 million in distributing five million mosquito nets treated with insecticide which has proven to be a helpful measure in the past. More countries should take measure like Rwanda is, and countries like the USA should provide more funding for such purposes.





Sources:

Adjakotan, Olive. "Rwanda Fighting Malaria Epidemic." Anadolu Agency. Anadolu Agency, 5 Jan. 2016. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

Rwandan Women in Science

Women in general around the world have been involved in the sciences and careers in it much less than men are, but groups in Rwanda are trying to change that. In Rwanda the number of women in the field was just 48.7 percent in 2011, and it has reached 55.1 percent in 2015. While the number of women in the field is steadily increasing, it remains too low in many people’s eyes. Jean Philbert Nsengimana, the Minister of Youth and ICT believes the amount of women in science would increase even more if they were pushed more and provided with more information. “Both rural and urban girls have equal chances at science courses but this mostly depends on the awareness they have. Being aware of the advantages of such courses can help them make the choices.” The rest of the world should look at Rwanda and take their lead in empowering women into taking on science as a career, along with other fields that they might shy away from as a result of a social stigma.





Sources:

Mbabazi, Donah. "Girls in Science: How Far Have They Come?" The New Times Rwanda. The New Times Rwanda, 9 Feb. 2017. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

Education in Rwanda

Rwanda’s educational system is preparing students for the future and getting them ready for college, where they excel with the right courses and encouragement. Rwandans can now get an excellent education at universities within Rwanda, instead of having to search elsewhere. They are also able to graduate with a diploma in less time than it would take in most other countries. One organization that had a major role in this is Bridge2Rwanda, which selects well performing students and helps them prepare for the future and provides them with chances to receive scholarships and helps place them in universities within Rwanda. The students are clearly showing their abilities with innovations such as an IV alert system that alerts nurses or hospital medical staff with a text or a call that tells them when an IV is running low. This has the potential to save lives, and a student clearly saw a need for it. Another innovation is “cash water” which is a prepaid water system. Overall, the future of education in Rwanda is looking bright.






Sources:



Rwagatare, Joseph. "Good Things Are Happening in Education." The New Times Rwanda. The New Times Rwanda, 28 June 2016. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

Medical Supply Drones in Rwanda

A great advancement in the medical world for Rwandans is the introduction of drones. While drones can be used for many things, and even for spying and destruction in wars, the newest use for drones is actually to deliver medicine and blood and other medical supplies directly to doctors and nurses who order them. They can order these supplies through a text message. The company that created this modern life saving convenience is Zipline. The drones are unique in that they will not land at the facilities, but they will instead drop the supplies using small parachutes that will gently lower them into the hands of the doctors and nurses. The drones can make up to 150 deliveries and there are 21 facilities they can deliver to inside Rwanda. This new technology has the potential to save many people’s lives, and make everyone’s lives better, and it shows some real positivity in Africa.





Sources:

"Drones to Deliver Medical Supplies in Rwanda." AJE News. Al Jazeera Media Network, 9 May 2016. Web. 6 Feb. 2017.

AIDs Reduction in Rwanda

Africa is steadily reducing the rate at which AIDs is spreading throughout the continent, and Rwanda is taking a big part in the effort. Being the continent with by far the most cases of AIDs, Africa has known they needed to take action for a while. Now, they are making more progress than the rest of the world. Rwanda in particular has been working toward enabling everyone with AIDs to receive treatment and on disseminating information to the rest of the citizens on how to prevent contracting AIDs. Rwanda has started treating all who contracted AIDs with ARVs rather than just those who are in the later stages of AIDs. Rwanda has also began placing free condom kiosks in high-risk areas, along with information on safe sex. Places like the USA could learn from Rwanda, and help a lot of people by spending more on AIDs prevention and providing treatment. Although the USA doesn't have nearly as many cases of AIDs, they can help the people who are currently suffering, and prevent the spread of the disease.







Sources:

"Global HIV and AIDS Statistics." AVERT. AVERT, 02 Nov. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.

Martin, Juliette. "Africa's New Strategies to Defeat HIV/AIDS." United Nations. United Nations, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.

"Rate of New HIV Infections Declines by 50 %, Rwanda Owes It to New Initiatives." Rwanda Biomedical Center. Rwanda Biomedical Center, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.