Frequently asked questions.

SAquaSolve Rwanda is a community-based organization working to expand access to safe drinking water in underserved rural communities. It develops and scales solar-powered community water systems that treat non-potable surface water and distribute safe drinking water through accessible community water points.

SAquaSolve Rwanda is being built as a Rwandan non-governmental organization. Nonprofit registration in Rwanda is in progress.

SAquaSolve's first implementation is in Gashora, Bugesera District. Its mission is Rwanda-wide: the organization intends to apply what it learns in Gashora to other underserved communities across the country over time.

In many underserved rural communities in Rwanda, water resources such as lakes and rivers are physically close, but safe, reliable drinking-water service is not. SAquaSolve builds the infrastructure needed to close that gap: intake, treatment, storage, distribution and community access.

Where a lake, river or other water resource already exists near a community, that proximity is an asset. The missing piece is usually not water itself but appropriate treatment, storage, distribution and monitoring to make it safe to drink.

Source water is drawn from an intake, moved by pumping to a centralized treatment plant, held in protected storage, and distributed to multiple community access points — one accountable system rather than a single stand-alone device.

SAquaSolve tests before it designs. Water-quality results, site conditions and engineering analysis determine the specific treatment processes and equipment a system needs, rather than a fixed design applied regardless of the source.

Communities take part in project design, decision-making and feedback, and local operators are trained to run day-to-day service and maintenance. WASH and public-health education runs alongside the infrastructure work.

Solar power is central to SAquaSolve's intended system approach, including intake pumping and treatment. Detailed sizing of solar and storage capacity is engineering work that follows site and load analysis.

Gashora is where SAquaSolve's founder has a direct, personal connection through three years as a student at Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology (GGAST). Bugesera is a lake-rich district where the gap between water present and water safe is especially visible.

SAquaSolve is developing a solar-powered community water system for Gashora, drawing on Lake Mirayi as the intended source, distributing safe water to multiple community access points. Water-quality characterization of the lake is underway.

SAquaSolve delivered two-day WASH and community workshops in Gashora with direct community input, in partnership with GGAST, funded by a 2026 Davis Projects for Peace grant.

SAquaSolve Rwanda was founded by Sonia Irakoze, who serves as Founder & Legal Representative.

Sonia Irakoze leads as Founder & Legal Representative. Nadine Uwizeyimana, a water and sanitation engineer, serves as Deputy Legal Representative & Technical Lead. See the About page for more.

SAquaSolve's initial work is supported by a 2026 Davis Projects for Peace grant, administered through the University of Rochester. The organization is also seeking technical partnerships and catalytic funding to move its Gashora system from validation into construction.

See the Partner With Us page for pathways covering funding, engineering and implementation, research, community engagement, and in-kind product or service support.

Yes — universities, laboratories and researchers can contribute through water-quality testing, engineering support, monitoring, and student and faculty engagement. See Research With Us on the Partner page.

Beyond formal partnership, individuals can support SAquaSolve's work directly through a donation, or by getting in touch to offer relevant expertise or connections.

Yes. Visit the Donate page to support SAquaSolve's work.

Contact SAquaSolve directly to request the project brief or ask a specific question — see the Contact page.