Kayumba Philbert

ONE HEALTH, ONE ENVIRONMENT, ONE FUTURE! 🌍 Human, animal, plant and environmental health are deeply interconnected; a threat to one can become a threat to all. This #OneHealthDay , themed “Act Together for One Health,” we are reminded that protecting the health of people and our environment requires collective action, strong partnerships and collaboration across sectors. In Rwanda, the One Health approach is particularly vital to strengthening national health security, preventing zoonotic diseases, combating antimicrobial resistance, enhancing food safety, strengthening pandemic preparedness and promoting environmental sustainability. As we mark this important day, let us renew our commitment to multisectoral collaboration, community engagement and shared responsibility to build healthier, safer and more resilient communities. Protecting biodiversity, safeguarding ecosystems and preventing health threats require us all to work together because the health of people, animals, plants and the environment is one and inseparable. One Health for All, All for One Health! #HealthForAll #OneHealth

From Awareness to Action: Empowering Communities to Be Pandemic-Ready! Pandemic preparedness begins long before an emergency strikes. It starts with informed, alert and empowered communities! This week, @RwandaNGOForum joined a community preparedness workshop in @RwamaganaDistr convened by @informed_gens through the Building Pandemic-Ready Communities (BPRC) Project, funded by @eannaso , bringing together youth advocates, Community Health Workers (CHWs), school-based mentors, health professionals, education representatives and district officials. The workshop provided an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Marburg outbreak in Rwanda while strengthening participants' understanding of how to recognize unusual health events, seek reliable information, use appropriate reporting and referral pathway and communicate responsibly during public health emergencies. Through practical group exercises, discussions and experience-sharing, participants explored how timely reporting, responsible information-sharing and effective collaboration can help communities identify health concerns early and respond appropriately. At the heart of the workshop were five essential actions that everyone can put into practice: 🔹 RECOGNISE – Pay attention to unusual health events and community concerns. 🔹 VERIFY – Seek information from trusted and appropriate health sources before accepting or sharing it. 🔹 REPORT – Use established local health reporting and referral channels to raise concerns. 🔹 PROTECT – Follow appropriate public health guidance and take practical steps to reduce health risks. 🔹 COMMUNICATE – Share verified information responsibly and help prevent rumours, misinformation, fear and stigma. By strengthening collaboration among young people, schools, CHWs, health authorities and community structures, the BPRC Project is translating knowledge into practical action and reinforcing the vital connection between communities and existing health systems. Because building pandemic-ready communities is a shared responsibility, preparedness starts with each one of us! By embedding a unified One Health approach across human, animal and environmental health sectors, local actions directly contribute to robust global pandemic prevention and preparedness systems. Grounded in this One Health framework, local action is critical to building safer, more resilient communities. How is your organization bridging grassroots community voices with national health preparedness frameworks? #PandemicPreparedness #CommunityHealth #HealthSecurity #OneHealth

Thank you, @Winnie_Byanyima , for recognizing Rwanda’s community-led HIV response. 🇷🇼Rwanda stands at 96-98-98. However, the national averages can hide the people the system still misses. With @UNAIDSRwanda support at every stage, from design to advocacy, we and our partners put service users in charge of monitoring the services they use. 📊 Community-led monitoring in Nyarugenge & Kicukiro: 1. 1,291 structured interviews in 10 health facilities: 744 with key populations (incl. 33 transgender people), 364 with AGYW, 183 with people with disabilities 2. 50 community monitors (25 women, 25 men) collecting data by smartphone on the iCLM system for community data management, for the first of its kind. 3. 20 master trainers, with average scores up from 54% to 88% 4. District stakeholders’ CLM knowledge in Nyarugenge up from 17% to 96% 5. 2 district CLM task teams bringing facilities and community representatives to one table 📜 From evidence to policy for adolescents and young people: 1. An ethics-approved national assessment in 4 districts: 384 respondents, 79 key informant interviews 2. 50 policy briefs and a dialogue with 45 senior leaders from Health, Education, Gender and Youth 3. A commitment from @RBCRwanda to scale up confidential youth corners 4. A primary-school CSE toolkit co-created with @REBRwanda and @UNFPARwanda . Built with @RwandaHealth and @RBCRwanda , and with @FXBRwanda , SFR, HDI, IMRO, ANSP+, UPHLS and RICH. The next chapter of the HIV response must be community-led, community-owned and equity-driven. Full story: rwandangoforum.rw/how-unaids… #LetCommunityLead #EndAIDS2030 #KeyPopulations #HealthyAdolescentRw #HealthEquity #LeaveNoOneBehind @nsanzimanasabin @YvanButera @JNdayizigiye @HindHassan_ @CMuvunyi @TuyishimeAlbert @AndrewGasoziNtw @REBRwanda @RwandaGender @Rwanda_Edu @Uni_Rwanda @unicefrw @WHORwanda @HDIRwanda @FXBRwanda @Sfrwanda1 @ImroRwanda @Ansp_Rwanda @uphls @rrpplus @InterfaithRda @UNAIDS @UNAIDS_ESA @GlobalFund @AfricaCDC @iasociety @gnpplus @GlobalSexWork @frontlineaids @Knooliet

Healthier communities start with open conversations about mental health! Yesterday, we were proud to join @dreamvillage6 , @HDIRwanda , @SwedeninRW (@Sida ), @RBCRwanda, healthcare professionals, local leaders and community stakeholders at Bishenyi Market in @RundaSector , @Kamonyi , to celebrate World Mental Health Day, marked on 10th October annually, through a community awareness campaign. The gathering created a welcoming space for open conversations, shared experiences and learning about mental health, addiction recovery and the importance of seeking help without fear or stigma. From engaging discussions and interactive games to lively performances and professional mental health screenings, the event brought mental health awareness closer to the community and turned important conversations into meaningful action. More than 160 community members were screened, with some referred for further support, a vital step towards early intervention and access to care. Together, we can challenge misconceptions, encourage help-seeking and strengthen community support systems to ensure that no one has to navigate mental health challenges alone. Because mental health matters, recovery is possible and asking for help is a sign of strength. Let us amplify our voices, keep listening and keep building communities where everyone feels seen, supported and empowered to thrive! #WorldMentalHealthDay2026 #MentalHealthMatters #EndTheStigma #MentalHealthForAll

Breaking Barriers, Advancing Reproductive Justice and Safe Abortion Care Through Collective Action Last week, @RwandaNGOForum joined fellow Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), stakeholders, healthcare providers and community members in Gitesi Sector of @KarongiDistr , to mark International Safe Abortion Day 2026, observed annually on 28 September. Under the theme “Solidarity in Action: Advance Reproductive Justice and Urgently Strengthen Health Systems for Comprehensive Abortion Care”, the event provided a platform for open community dialogue on safe abortion and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (#SRHR), helping to challenge stigma and misinformation while highlighting the importance of accurate information and respectful, confidential, youth-friendly care. Through the recognition of healthcare provider champions, the provision of essential family planning services, HIV testing, access to SRHR information and artistic performances, the event reinforced a shared commitment to ensuring accessible, quality reproductive health services for all, particularly adolescents and young people. #SRHR #ISAD2026 #AdvancingHealthRights #SolidarityInAction #InternationalSafeAbortionDay

Sometimes we get so caught up in everything going on around us that we forget to check on ourselves. This #WorldMentalHealthDay , here are a few things to watch out for and simple ways to look after your #MentalHealth 🔈 🎧 #MentalHealthMatters #WorldMentalHealthDay2026

This week at the #NNN2026 conference in Kigali, themed “People, Systems & Resilience: Adapting NTD Responses Through Holistic Approaches,” @RwandaNGOForum joined fellow NTD partners for a workshop, “Local Champions, Lasting Impact: Building Capacity for Equitable and Sustainable NTD Solutions.” We presented our work with the Rwanda Malaria & NTDs Youth Corps @MalariaNTDcorps in @BugeseraDistr and @RuhangoDistrict . Through a formal structure co-supported by @TheENDFund and ALMA and also working closely with @RBCRwanda and district leaders, young people are moving from beneficiaries to active implementers of NTD prevention. They lead community education, support mass drug administration and work alongside community health workers, opinion leaders and WASH structures to drive social and behaviour change. Together with partners from Ethiopia, Kenya and Zimbabwe, we explored approaches to reaching groups that are often left behind,including fishermen, marshland farmers, rural women, people with disabilities and out-of-school children. Our key takeaway: lasting impact is built when local champions own the work and NTD action is embedded in district plans and supported by sustainable domestic financing. #BeatNTDs #EndNTDs

Safe abortion is healthcare. Every woman and girl deserves access to accurate information, quality services and compassionate carefree from stigma, discrimination and unnecessary barriers. On this #InternationalSafeAbortionDay, let us continue advancing access, accountability, dignity and informed choice in reproductive healthcare. No one should be left behind when seeking the care they need. Let’s build a future where abortion care is accessible, respectful and responsive to the realities of every woman and girl and let us remember that abortion is not only about access to services; it is about ensuring that people can make informed decisions about their bodies and future with dignity. #SafeAbortionRw #ReproductiveHealth #AccessIsARightRw

Putting Communities First: Transforming HIV and SRHR Through Partnership in Rwanda Rwanda’s HIV response is a global reference point, having reached remarkable milestones with adult targets now standing at 96-98-98. However, national averages can sometimes hide the people the system still misses. In this compelling article, we highlight the impactful power of collaboration and partnership between the @RwandaNGOForum and @UNAIDSRwanda in putting key and priority populations, including FSW, MSM, transgender people, PWID/PWUD, people with disabilities, and AGYW, at the center of the HIV and SRHR response through Community-Led Monitoring (CLM), data-driven advocacy, and policy transformation. Read the full article here: rwandangoforum.rw/how-unaids… How can we better leverage community-led monitoring (CLM) and SRHR initiatives to reach the last mile and ensure no one is left behind in our health responses? Share your thoughts in the comments below and keep the conversation going. #LetCommunityLead #EndAIDS2030 #KeyPopulations #HealthyAdolescentRw #HealthEquity @RwandaHealth @RBCRwanda @nsanzimanasabin @JNdayizigiye @UNAIDS @WHORwanda @BrianChirombo @CMuvunyi @UNAIDS_ESA @RichardAmenyah @AndrewGasoziNtw @Knooliet @J_Umuhire @HDIRwanda @ImroRwanda @Sfrwanda1 @FXBRwanda @TuyishimeAlbert @Rwanda_CCM @mwanaimable @DMbituyumuremyi @aflodiskagaba

HAPPY WORLD CONTRACEPTION DAY 2026 Contraceptive access is about more than preventing unintended pregnancies. It is about giving people the ability to plan their lives, pursue their aspirations and make decisions about their futures. When barriers to contraception remain, so does the gap between having a right and being able to exercise it. This #WorldContraceptionDay , let’s move from availability to accessibility, from policy to implementation, and from information to meaningful choice. #SRHIsARightRw #WCD2026Rw #WorldContraceptionDay2026

Multi-Sectoral Collaboration Powers the End NTDs: How Bugesera and Ruhango Are Driving Local Action Through WASH Integration This week, @RwandaNGOForum , in collaboration with @RBCRwanda and with support from @TheENDFund, held quarterly advisory committee meetings on Interruption of Transmission (IoT) in @BugeseraDistr and @RuhangoDistrict , as part of efforts to decentralise multisectoral collaboration for NTD prevention through WASH integration. This initiative is aligned with Rwanda’s National NTD Strategic Plan (2026–2030) and the @WHO 2030 Roadmap for NTD Elimination and is critical to reaching the target of Interruption of Transmission (IoT) by 2027. Chaired by district authorities, the meetings brought together partners, sector representatives and community actors to review progress towards the interruption of transmission of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths in the two districts. “This quarterly meeting is timely. It helps us review ongoing initiatives to mobilize our communities around preventing sanitation-related diseases, and it keeps us on track not as the health sector alone, but together with other stakeholders that we work with daily. The coordination toolkit will strengthen that collaboration and how we hold ourselves accountable.” Acting District Health Unit Director, Ruhango District Discussions centred on the newly launched NTD–WASH coordination toolkit, which sets out where health, agriculture, education, infrastructure, environment and other sectors need to work together and what each brings to breaking the cycle of transmission. “After a meeting like this, the recommendations taken help us design a clear roadmap of priority actions that integrate NTD prevention with WASH.” District Hygiene and Sanitation Officer, @BugeseraDistr Participants also reviewed progress on social and behaviour change (SBC) initiatives aimed at mobilising communities on NTD prevention, along with updates on preventive chemotherapy, case management, snail control and surveillance. “Through the mobilization activities we run on community platforms, we reach the people most at risk, including fellow women who carry an unequal burden of poor WASH access and the prevention messages are easily delivered.” Health and Sanitation Officer- Ruhango sector @RuhangoDistrict Ending NTDs is not the health sector's responsibility alone. Achieving lasting elimination demands institutionalized district-level coordination, sustained domestic resource commitment and empowered community ownership to ensure no community is left behind. #EndNTDs #BeatNTDs