Burundi - The Rema Hospital

Project name: The Rema Hospital
Status: in progress
Start date: June 2007
End date: to be determined
Budget:  CHF 4'260'000
Project initiator: Maggy Barankitse from Shalom House (Maison Shalom)
Sponsor: Elite Rent-a-Car
Contact and information: go to the contact page or visit www.maisonshalom.net
Donations: go to the donations page

Based in Ruyigi, Burundi, the Rema Hospital is dedicated to mothers and their children. In Kirundi the word « rema » expresses support, comfort and sympathy for a person suffering difficulties. It summarizes beautifully this project launched  by the Shalom House (Maison Shalom) to relieve vulnerable populations.

 

The Shalom House was born in Ruyigi in the midst of the 2003 interethnic massacres, as Maggy Barankitse adopted 25 orphans, victims of the civil war. Today the Shalom House is a world recognized organization helping over 10'000 children orphaned by the civil war or aids. The Rema Hospital, which was officially inaugurated on January 22nd 2008 and already offers a range of services, constitutes an important step in the realization of the Shalom House's vision.

 

War always exacerbates existing problems in a country, and the health system in Burundi was no exception. Not only is the quantity of hospitals vastly insufficient for the local population, but what services are offered are largely unsatisfactory.

 

The Rema Hospital has been conceived in response to this situation. It strives to be a reference in infrastructural functionality, equipment quality, security, hygiene and the quality of the care offered to the local population.

 

The Rema Hospital aims particularly to reduce pregnant women's mortality rate by offering them medical monitoring, to act for the limitation of the risk of HIV/aids transmission from mother to child and to facilitate access to health for vulnerable populations by collaborating with the Ministry of Public Health. An education centre providing information on hygiene, nutrition, vaccines and birth regulation is an integral part of the project.

 

Update Nov 2009: Recently there were two different reports published about the Rema Hosptial - download article 1 + 2 (unfortunately, only published in French)

 

Here you will find some additional information on the services available at the hospital as of March 2008 - download pdf page 1 + 2 (sorry, only in French).

 

If you would like to read an article on Maggy's story and how she came to create the Maison Shalom, please click here (PDF). 

 

You would like to help Maggy to improve the health conditions in Ruyigi: