Kavumu is a community of people in Mayange, a town in Rwanda, who were refugees in neighbouring countries during the genocide and have returned to rebuild their lives with great bravery and fortitude.
CED’s Alan Michell has worked with Pastor Charles Semwaga to carry out many local improvements including building 50 x 5000 litre ferro-cement household rainwater collection tanks, a 20,000 litre bulk storage tank, kitchen gardens and improvements to property to resist heavy rainfall.
This CED project has attracted additional funding that has enabled construction of a new primary school and Church building, which was managed in parallel with the CED Project. All of this has improved health, increased food production in the market gardens, encouraged business, and empowered the local people. Charles works for Faith Centre Ministries and is responsible for 30 rural Churches across Eastern Rwanda.
He writes on 25 November 2021 (notes added in italics):
Personal news
Despite family health issues and tragedy as well as other challenges Charles has continued to manage his Church work whilst also managing this project in Kavumu.
Mayange (a town in Bugesera district)
We’ve been having less rain in Rwanda whereby this season harvest will be little. Bugesera is always having this issue of rain. This means that ferro tanks had no water (these were part of the CED project, photo and collect rainwater), but the Bulk tank (also part of the CED project and filled periodically from the WASAC mains supply) is helping the community.
Concerning Kavumu news (a village district within the town of Mayange):
In terms of health, people are looking healthy and clean with no malnutrition to both children and their mothers and no more sicknesses that comes out of lacking clean water. This problem totally solved. (This last sentence was the one that most moved me, such fundamental differences achieved by a modest intervention by Western standards).
In development
Many different types of businesses are there at Kavumu and new buildings are being built in that area. All of these developments are coming because of water nearby.
Social activities
Church building is being used by both the community and the government, ie Weddings, conferences and other government meetings on top of other church activities. I would say that the project has reached its objectives more than 100%. You know the project was for the Kavumu community, but it went beyond which attracted many other people to come to build their houses at Kavumu. Also, the project has raised the price of lands in that area. Not easy to buy land at Kavumu. Very expensive now.
The future
After seeing the changes the project brought to Kavumu community, Executive Secretary & Mayor of Bugesera are pushing Faith Center Church as their partners to do the same project in other communities where they have having the same problems like those at Kavumu. The remaining challenge is to finish the school building at Kavumu. No more needs at Kavumu, so Executive Secretary Sebarundi is requesting us to help his community.
A ferro cement rainwater harvesting tank 
Previously water was collected from a stream 2 miles from the village Bulk storage tank, filled periodically from the WASAC mains supply 
Market gardens 
Mud brick housing before reinforcing and rendering of the walls to resist the heavy rains 
Adding the finishing touches to a refurbished house