Ms Christelle Kwizera
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as Head of the Commonwealth, has today, 30 July, recognised Christelle Kwizera, representing Rwanda, as the 189th Commonwealth Point of Light in honour of her exceptional voluntary service providing clean water to over 100,000 Rwandans.
Christelle, aged 26, is a mechanical engineer who founded her NGO ‘Water Access Rwanda’ in 2014 to address the issues of water scarcity and youth unemployment in the country.
Christelle launched the enterprise when she was only 20 years old to provide a safe and sustainable way for Rwandans living in rural communities to access water, without having to collect unclean water from rivers and dams where they can often face dangerous conditions such as crocodile attacks.
Through its network of 95 boreholes and purified clean water grids, the enterprise now provides clean water to over 100,000 Rwandans a day, whilst at the same time providing key employment opportunities for young people.
Christelle’s work in water and geophysics has also seen her train and support the development of social water businesses across the African continent with American not-for-profit ‘Water4’.
As part of the legacy of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London 2018, Her Majesty The Queen – as Head of the Commonwealth – is thanking inspirational volunteers across the 54 Commonwealth nations for the difference they are making in their communities and beyond, by recognising one volunteer from each Commonwealth country every week.
By sharing these stories of service, the Commonwealth Points of Light awards celebrate inspirational acts of volunteering across the Commonwealth and help inspire others to make their own contribution to tackling some of the greatest social challenges of our time.
Christelle said:
“It’s an extreme honour to be given this award; since last year, getting our work done has been more difficult but all the more urgent. The world is experiencing a sanitary crisis and unfortunately for many in rural areas, conducting activities such as handwashing and social distancing becomes an impossible task when they have no access to running water. At ‘Water Access Rwanda’, we envision a future where safe water access, which is a human right guaranteed to all, by building the necessary infrastructure to deliver this water at home. Home access matters, because convenient access to basic needs is a must. But most importantly, African women waste over 200 million hours a day walking for water, something we must end. Thank you Her Majesty Queen II and the Points of Light team for shining a light on our work. It is an encouragement to me as a founder, but most importantly to our growing 70 plus staff.”
H. E. Omar Daair, British High Commissioner to Rwanda, said:
“It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Christelle Kwizera on winning the Commonwealth Points of Light award in Rwanda. Ms Kwizera is recognised by Her Majesty The Queen for her outstanding work to promote positive change. As founder of Water Access Rwanda, Ms Kwizera has helped provide access to water for thousands of Rwandans, and she has shown real commitment to building capacity of others in her community. Many congratulations.”
The Commonwealth is a diverse community of 54 nations that work together to promote prosperity, democracy and peace. The Heads of Government meeting brought together leaders from all the 54 Member countries to reaffirm common values, address shared global challenges and agree how to work to create a better future for all citizens, especially young people. Voluntary service is a vital part of this agenda, which is why Her Majesty The Queen has chosen to recognise outstanding volunteers across the Commonwealth in this special way. (End)