1. IKIRENGA CARE CBC: Our Flagship Project

IKIRENGA CARE CBC: What is it? How does it align with Kangabe Foundation’s mission?

IKIRENGA CARE CBC is a Unique Project in Rwanda, comprising of 2 complementary components: Ikirenga International Training College and Ikirenga Physical Rehabilitation and Nutritional Care Center. IKIRENGA CARE CBC project addresses two critical development needs simultaneous: -direct health improvement through physical rehabilitation and nutritional care services and sustainable workforce development. By offering both: the services and the degree, IKIRENGA Care CBC will be creating a steady flow of skilled Rwandan professionals in these under-resourced fields. This integrated approach not only improves the immediate well-being of the people but it also builds long-term capacity at all levels of the Rwandan healthcare system, thus fostering self-reliance expertise and while providing quality and holistic physical rehabilitation and nutrition care services.

Thus, similar to Kangabe Foundation, IKIRENGA CARE CBC’s mission is to improve the lives of people from Rwanda and its surrounding countries through private sector investment that generate jobs so as to lift millions out of poverty, give hope and a better future as well as better outcomes at health care services delivery level. In this regard, our flagship project aligns perfectly with KF’s mission. While IKIRENGA CBC will be known as the flagship of the Kangabe Foundation’s projects: its 2 components will operate like private institutions that will focus on achieving: -great performance, efficiency, sustainability, results driven, profit-making companies as well as entities, responsible for -ensuring dignity, physical and possible financial independency and a sense of human/cultural accomplishment vis a vis societal ideals and values.

These two sub-projects will have a positive impact in the community where they are established on several fronts:

o Local job creation

o Post-Acute Service delivery

o Economic and social development of the areas

o Contribution to the health and education sector development

2. IKIRENGA international Training College

This is our shining light project due to its:

⮚ Significant contribution to Rwanda’s 2050’s Vision:

The Rwanda Government’s efforts to build a modern healthcare system that also includes Physical Rehabilitation and Nutritional Care services at all levels of the healthcare system is one of its top priorities as the country moves from low to a middle-income country level. One of the main contributions of our Foundation and Education Programs to the government’s efforts of improving its economic development is that of jobs creation. In this regard,

IKIRENGA International Training College will contribute to the government’s visions 2030 and 2050 by:

o Closing the life-threatening gap in technical education.

o Becoming the first government’s private partner to have Physical Rehabilitation and Nutritional/Dietetics Programs at diploma and certificate levels first and then later, at bachelor degree level.

o Developing a multidisciplinary workforce that is suitable to the Rwandan context, and that will increase functioning as a health measure alongside mortality and morbidity within the public health sector strategy.

⮚ Job Creation and Economic Growth to Address clinical gaps in Rwanda education.

Rwanda like many other developing countries faces significant challenges in providing comprehensive physical rehabilitation and nutrition care services and often lacks sufficient specialized trainees in these areas. This project directly tackles these gaps. It focuses on physical rehabilitation to improve the quality of life and functional independence for individuals with disabilities while nutrition care addresses a fundamental determinant of health. The associate degree programs provide a localized and accessible pathway for Rwandans to acquire specialized skills, thereby strengthening the national health system’s ability to meet the needs of its population.

⮚ Sustainable and scalable impact through local capacity building.

This project’s emphasis on associate degree program ensures the long-term sustainability and scalability of its impact. By training a cadre of local professionals, the project moves beyond short term interventions to create an enduring resource for Rwanda. These graduates will go on to work in various healthcare settings across the country, disseminating their knowledge and skills and potentially establishing new physical rehabilitation centers. This localized capacity building is a powerful engine for self-sustaining development with ripple effects extending far beyond the immediate project beneficiaries.

⮚ Accessibility and Inclusivity:

Our commitment to “all Rwandan high school, Biology major graduates, regardless of their parents’ income level” to attend IKIRENGA college with the help of scholarships for economically disadvantaged students from Kangabe Foundation, Individual donors + NGOs sponsorships, government subsidies.

3. Ikirenga Physical Rehabilitation and Nutritional Care Center (CBC)

⮚ It is Innovative: Integrating Services Delivery with Education.

IKIRENGA Care CBC is a combination of 2 sectors: the Education and Health Sector.
IKIRENGA Physical Rehabilitation and Nutrition Care Center is at the far front of innovation by co-locating a service delivery center with a technical college. This model creates a symbiotic relationship where students will gain valuable practical experience through daily practices & clinical rotations at the physical rehabilitation and nutrition care center. The center will in turn benefit from a continuous influx of interns- under the supervision of their teachers-and in highly set up environment, highly modern, well equipped and digitally updated for optimum academic learning. This learn-by-doing approach directly integrated into service provision is a highly effective and innovative way of bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge with practical application, thus, ensuring that the graduates are job-ready and services are of high quality.

⮚ Social Impact:

The physical rehabilitation center addresses a critical healthcare gap and improves greatly its quality. Indeed, like many other countries in the world, medical disability due to stroke & traumatic injuries is the leading cause of death more than malaria and HIV/Aids combined, and the subsequent economic burden is substantial, falling disproportionately on low and middle-income countries (LMICs). It is the leading diagnosis in elderly for admission to long term care homes.

⮚ In Rwanda, 7-9% of patients suffer from a medical disability of which 10% are traumatic, Stroke is today a significant health public concern, and the awareness of the risk factors and their control are still significantly low while the case fatalities are becoming increasingly, very high.

⮚ Ikirenga Rehabilitation and Nutrition Care Center will operate as a holistic and multidisciplinary care center, offering outstanding services by experts highly qualified and working with appropriate and adequate equipment, material, tools, modalities, first at the rehab center, then at household level after discharge from IKIRENGA Rehab Center, as follow up care services by students under their teachers’ supervision.