One of the most significant deterrents to economic progress in Rwanda is a lack of practical, hands-on training in technical fields to create growth opportunities.

Aquaponics provides a means to providing hands-on, vocational learning while at the same time addressing the country’s nutritional needs. The systems require knowledge in basic chemistry, plant and fish biology, carpentry, plumbing, electronics, and resource management – all valuable skills that can be transferred to other endeavors to help Rwandans help themselves.

It is an integrated, efficient, sustainable approach that supports economic development in the face of population growth, climate change, and dwindling supplies of water and arable land.

Small-scale aquaponics systems also lend themselves to the social structures of Rwanda, where villagers typically share in the benefits and operation of communal water wells. As such, the systems would be designed to integrate with local resources and customs to provide a home-grown opportunity rather than a top-down “solution”.

First Steps

The impetus for helpRWANDA began with a Rwandan Roman Catholic priest, Father Emmanuel Rutangusa, sent by his bishop to the USA on an educational visa to work on a PhD. His intention was to return to Rwanda with a model educational outreach project to address the needs of the community. As a guest priest in two rural churches in Rhode Island, he befriended parishioners with whom he shared his goal.

This was the genesis of helpRWANDA, which, by word of mouth, soon attracted volunteers possessing a unique combination of idealism and pragmatism. Among them were university faculty members with specialized expertise in aquaponics.

A key proponent of helpRWANDA is Dr. Jameson Chace, Professor, Chair, Faculty Director of Community Engaged Learning, and McAuley Scholar of Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. Through his efforts, helpRWANDA obtained approval from the University for the project to be accepted under their 501(c) 3 tax-exempt umbrella.

Today, we are working with Salve Regina University to develop curricula and teaching methods geared to the unique needs of the project participants, as well as Catholic University of Rwanda which has granted land and support to the project.

The emphasis will be on service learning, defined as the acquisition of practical skills essential to the realization of the project, as well as a firm grounding in the scientific principles upon which it is based.

Scaling Up

Experience tells us that starting small, building confidence, and proving the concept are prerequisites to any future attempt at ‘scaling up’.

The model will initially comprise two 275-gallon tanks supplied by a rainwater catchment system, with the plumbing, equipment and supplies to raise 240 small (25 g.) fingerling Tilapia fish to market size adults (500 g). Daily operations involve feeding the fish, testing water quality, separating solid waste, maintaining equipment, providing security, and harvesting for market, as well as utilization of fish waste in a soil-rebuilding program.

When the goal of successfully raising fish to market size has been consistently accomplished, efforts to increase the capacity and yields of the operation may be undertaken as the project expands to eight fish tanks and 32 grow beds.

A Sustainable Future

The hydroponics component opens vast opportunities for experimentation in varieties of vegetables grown, plant lighting variables, nutrient stream flow rates and more. Business planning, marketing and sales strategies can evolve as confidence grows.

With sustainability and profitability as a goal, a portion of harvested fish and vegetables can be sold at market to provide a reliable source of income, along with a sense of shared responsibility for the well being of the entire community.