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Broken Pumps and Promises pp 99–134Cite as

Incentivizing Impact – Privately Financed Public Health in Rwanda

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Abstract

There is effectively universal agreement that clean air and clean water are human rights. Yet there is not universal agreement on effective ways of ensuring these rights. In environmental health interventions addressing water and indoor air quality, multiple determinants contribute to adoption. These may include technology selection, technology distribution and education methods, community engagement with behavior change, and duration and magnitude of implementer engagement. In Rwanda, while the country has the fastest annual reduction in child mortality in the world, the population is still exposed to a disease burden associated with environmental health challenges. Rwanda relies both on direct donor funding and coordination of programs managed by international non-profits and health sector businesses working on these challenges. In this chapter, a program in Rwanda illustrates the potential of public-private partnerships, combined with objective measurement tools and metrics, to deliver a sustained impact in poor households.

Portions of this chapter are adapted with permission from Barstow et al., “Designing and Piloting a Program to Provide Water Filters and Improved Cookstoves in Rwanda”, PLOS One, 2014, and portions adapted with permission from “Use of Remotely Reporting Electronic Sensors for Assessing Use of Water Filters and Cookstoves in Rwanda”, Environmental Science and Technology, 48 (12) DOI: 10.1021/es503155m. 2014. American Chemical Society. Authors Thomas and Barstow are compensated consultants to the implementer described, DelAgua Health. Authors Thomas and Barstow are responsible for this chapter with the exception of section 8.9, written by co-author Clasen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Portland State University, 1930 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR, 97201, USA

    Evan A. Thomas

  2. Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Department, The University of Colorado at Boulder, UCB 428, Boulder, CO, 80309-0428, USA

    Christina Barstow

  3. Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Thomas Clasen

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  1. Evan A. Thomas
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  2. Christina Barstow
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  3. Thomas Clasen
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Correspondence to Evan A. Thomas .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Materials E, Portland State University, PORTLAND, Oregon, USA

    Evan A. Thomas

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Thomas, E.A., Barstow, C., Clasen, T. (2016). Incentivizing Impact – Privately Financed Public Health in Rwanda. In: Thomas, E. (eds) Broken Pumps and Promises. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28643-3_8

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