Eni Foundation initiative aims to improve access to maternal and child healthcare services across four districts of the country, at community, primary and secondary healthcare levels, with a particular focus on basic and specialized emergency obstetric and neonatal care.
Kigali, Rwanda, 18 September 2026 – Eni Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), has inaugurated the maternity ward at Karwasa Health Centre, in the Musanze District of Rwanda. The initiative is part of a project aimed at strengthening maternal and child healthcare services in the country, with a particular focus on the management of basic and specialized obstetric and neonatal emergencies.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by MoH Permanent Secretary Jean Marie Vianney, RBC Deputy Director Jeanne Umuhire, the mayors of the districts involved, Eni Foundation President Domenico Giani, Eni Natural Energies Rwanda Branch Manager Silvia Masi, and the Delegate of the Honorary Consul of Italy in Rwanda Sandrine Bagwaneza.
The project involved the construction of 13 maternity wards in the districts of Nyagatare, Musanze, Gisagara and Rulindo, the provision of 4 ambulances, and the delivery of medical equipment to the 13 healthcare facilities and to the 2 district hospitals of Gakoma and Kibilizi, both located in Gisagara District. To date, the new maternity wards have helped improve access to healthcare services for more than 51,000 women and children under the age of five, providing communities with modern and adequately equipped facilities.
In parallel, training courses have been launched in collaboration with the local organization Society for Family Health (SFH) Rwanda, targeting approximately 2,500 Community Health Workers (CHWs), in line with the objectives of the country's community healthcare reform. The training programmes covered topics including emergency obstetric and neonatal care, the prevention and management of communicable and non-communicable diseases, mental health, disability management, infection prevention and control (IPC), health management information systems (HMIS), equipment maintenance, immunization programmes and quality management. Overall, the training activities involved 639 healthcare workers, technicians and members of the District Health Management Teams.
The construction and commissioning of the new maternity wards represent a further step towards strengthening the local healthcare system, helping to improve the availability and quality of maternal and child healthcare services and enabling more timely and effective management of obstetric and neonatal emergencies. The initiative reaffirms Eni Foundation's commitment to promoting universal access to basic healthcare services, with particular attention to women, children and the most vulnerable communities.
Eni Foundation is a non-profit organization established by Eni in 2006 to promote and implement social, humanitarian and healthcare projects in Italy and around the world, with a particular focus on children and the most vulnerable communities. Through long-term partnerships with local authorities and communities, the Foundation contributes to promoting people's well-being and the sustainable development of the areas in which it operates.
Eni Natural Energies (ENE) Rwanda branch, part of Eni Natural Energies S.p.A., a company established in 2021, has been operating in Rwanda since 2023 in the fields of agri-business and carbon offset. Its main initiatives include the multiplication of oilseed crop seeds and the Eni for Clean Cooking programme, which promotes the adoption of improved cookstoves. These activities aim to foster local development, skilled employment and environmental sustainability.
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