Health Builders

02/18/2026

We were pleased to welcome Jebson and Joseph from Sanofi for a visit to review the progress of the NCD project being implemented in Nyabihu District to improve the detection and management of hypertension and diabetes.

Over the past two years, this collaboration has delivered measurable impact:

Screening and Early Detection
• More than 180,000 people screened
Capacity Building
• 32 nurses and 2 doctors trained in cardiovascular disease care
• 16 nurses and 16 data managers trained on NCD data systems
• 1,976 Community Health Workers trained on NCD screening and cEMR data recording

Health System Strengthening
• 16 health centers and 469 villages mentored quarterly
• Blood pressure machines and glucometers distributed to 469 villages and 16 health centers
• 8 health centers equipped with biochemistry analyzers

Digitization and Innovation
• 938 smartphones provided to support real-time reporting

The visit provided an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned and discuss sustainability and scale-up across Rwanda.

We are grateful to Sanofi for their continued partnership in strengthening primary health care systems and advancing the fight against hypertension and diabetes at the community level. Together, we are building a stronger, more resilient health system.

02/11/2026

What does dignity in health care look like?

At Mwulire Health Center, it means mothers accessing ultrasound services close to home. It means patients no longer wait days for referrals. It means health workers equipped to serve their communities with compassion.

On World Day of the Sick, we reflect on how strong primary health care systems restore dignity and bring quality care closer to rural families.

Read the full story here: http://www.healthbuilders.org/stories/world-day-of-the-sick-care-that-restores-dignity-at-mwulire-health-center

02/08/2026

We were pleased to welcome our partners, Brittany Cesarini, David Kamau, and Jean René Shema from Global Health Corps, alongside Kwelin Pipkin from American Institutes for Research (AIR), for a courtesy visit to Health Builders this week.

The visit was an opportunity to share our work strengthening primary health care systems in Rwanda and to exchange insights on community-driven, systems-level approaches to health.

We extend our sincere thanks to GHC for their continued partnership and commitment to advancing equitable health systems.

02/06/2026

As we reflect on Rwanda’s Heroes Day, we honor everyday heroes saving lives in communities across the country.

For Health Builders, those heroes are our Community Health Workers (CHWs). They are the backbone of rural health care, and their impact is huge: screening thousands for disease, educating families, and easing the burden on crowded clinics.

On a day dedicated to celebrating courage, service, and sacrifice, these CHWs remind us that heroism often looks like showing up again and again for your neighbors.

Read the full story here 👉 https://www.healthbuilders.org/stories/heroes-among-us-volunteer-community-health-workers-chws

02/04/2026

What happens when healthcare providers are trained to care for the mind and body together?

One participant, KAMARIZA Patricie, an NCD nurse at Kamabuye Health Center, shares what our recent training in Musanze District meant to her.

Read the full blog post on our site: https://www.healthbuilders.org/stories/improving-care-for-ncd-and-mental-health-patients-lessons-from-the-musanze-training

02/01/2026

On this day, we honor Rwanda’s heroes whose courage, dignity, and sacrifice shaped our nation.

As we remember their legacy, we recommit to strengthening systems and communities that uphold resilience and collective progress.

01/27/2026

Muyumbu Health Center delivers an average of five babies every day and provides 300+ consultations daily in just FOUR rooms! The national standard is 30-40 patients per room per day.

Realizing the need for growth to decrease wait times for mothers, especially those requiring urgent care, we’re launching a full upgrade of the facility. Not only are we adding more rooms, we are modernizing outdated equipment and infrastructure to ensure we can meet the growing need.

With these changes, Muyumbu Health Center is projected to save the lives of over 15,000 children, mothers, and other adults over the next 50 years.

Read more about the project and help us raise funds to complete the project!
https://www.healthbuilders.org/stories/transforming-maternal-and-child-health-in-muyumbu

01/21/2026

“This is my first time screening, and I didn’t know my blood pressure or sugar levels,” shared a 45 year-old woman from Bugesera.

Her results revealed dangerously high blood pressure and blood sugar, conditions that could lead to fatal complications such as stroke, etc. There is a high possibility that her long untreated diabetes could have caused her elevated blood pressure.

Annual screening is recommended by the World Health Organization, and the Rwanda Ministry of Health could have helped detect her condition early and made her care easier.

Unfortunately she, like many many people in Rwanda did not have access to these important screening services.

Thanks to the CARDIO4Rwanda project, she was immediately connected with her local health center for treatment and follow-up. Today, she continues to receive care to live a healthier life.

Read more about the lifesaving work happening thanks to the CARDIO4Rwanda project in our recent blog post 👉 https://www.healthbuilders.org/stories/bringing-heart-care-closer-to-communities-cardio4rwanda-in-rwamagana-bugesera-and-kicukiro-districts

01/15/2026

For nearly 40 years, the Muyumbu Health Center has served thousands of families. However, growing demand and outdated facilities have made it harder for mothers and newborns to get the safe, quality care they deserve.

That’s about to change.

Health Builders, in partnership with local leaders and partners like the Rwamagana District and Pace Family Foundation, is mobilizing resources for planning the renovation and expansion of the health center to include a new maternity block with a fully equipped operating theater, bringing life-saving care closer to home.

Learn more about how these upgrades will reduce preventable deaths, expand services to more than 200,000 people, and give every family dignity and timely care at birth 👉 https://www.healthbuilders.org/stories/transforming-maternal-and-child-health-in-muyumbu

01/13/2026

Some of the most dangerous diseases are often the quietest. Across Rwamagana, Bugesera & Kicukiro, thousands of people are discovering hidden dangers like high blood pressure and diabetes thanks to a bold new initiative called CARDIO4Rwanda, funded by Novartis .

This project is catching “silent killers” early, connecting people to care, and transforming healthcare where it’s needed most. In just 6 months, over 150,000 people were screened, among whom more than 27,000 diagnosed with elevated blood pressure, and more than 4,900 with high blood sugar. Many didn’t even know they were at risk. More than a half of the new patients have already been linked to care and mobilization efforts are underway for every patient to receive care.

Read the full story here: https://www.healthbuilders.org/stories/bringing-heart-care-closer-to-communities-cardio4rwanda-in-rwamagana-bugesera-and-kicukiro-districts

11/14/2025

Today is World Diabetes Day! The fight against diabetes looks different in different countries, but the goal is universal. Access to quality prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes is critical for public health.

Health Builders and our partners are working in Rwanda to strengthen care for non-communicable diseases like diabetes. Read about the progress we are making!

Every year on November 14th, the world comes together to raise awareness about diabetes — a condition affecting more than 500 million people globally. Today, we’re raising awareness about the challenges of fighting this disease.

11/03/2025

Imagine bringing lifesaving health services to 1.5 million more people. Together, we can make that vision real.

We’re launching our Expansion Campaign to expand into three new districts in Rwanda. To secure Year 1 funding, we need to raise $730,000 by December 31, 2025.

This is your opportunity to power health, hope, and equity across Rwanda.

🔗 Learn more and join us: https://www.healthbuilders.org/district-expansion-campaign