Vital Water Project to Support Hospitality and Education

KIGALI, RWANDA – With the Support from Fondazione Opera Don Bosco nel Mondo(Milano-Lugano), A critical infrastructure project is underway at the Don Bosco Hospitality Center in Gatenga to address persistent water shortages and improve sanitation standards.

The project aims to provide a permanent supply of clean water for the facility’s 500 daily users, including guests, staff, and students.

In a recent interview, Father Servilien Ufitamahoro, the Director of the Planning and Development Office (PDO), explained the urgency behind the initiative.

“The idea of having this water project… came to reduce [the lack] of sufficient water,” Father Servilien stated. He noted that the center, which serves visitors coming to relax and dine, has faced operational challenges due to water scarcity. “It happens that sometimes we do not have enough of water,” he admitted.

The project involves upgrading the site’s infrastructure significantly. Plans include the installation of a borehole equipped with a powerful electric pump capable of delivering 150 cubic meters of water per day to tanks situated on the property’s slopes.

Father Servilien acknowledged the physical challenges of the terrain but expressed confidence in the new engineering. “It’s a long journey from the source to the hospitality but we do hope that it will be possible,” he said.

Beyond basic sanitation, the project is integral to the educational mission of the Don Bosco Technical Secondary School. The hospitality center serves as a practical training ground for students in the culinary arts program.

“Hospitality actually is part of the… technical secondary school,” Father Servilien explained. “We have students who are actually also benefiting in this project in the sense that they do come for their daily practices”.

By ensuring a reliable water supply for cooking and cleaning, the institution aims to “offer good quality education to our young people “.

Implementation is currently on track. Progress reports indicate that water tanks have already been purchased, and a channel has been dug from the water source to the distribution site

Father Servilien remains optimistic about the project’s impact on the community’s future. “We are trying to implement this project so that we can raise the quantity of water we have here and we see that the near future we may have sufficient water,” he stated.