About AquaSolve Rwanda

Built by someone who grew up watching the gap between inside and outside the fence.

AquaSolve Rwanda grew out of a specific observation Sonia carried with her from Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology. Inside the school compound, water ran from taps. Outside the fence, the same community walked hours to find it. Now, as a mechanical engineering student at the University of Rochester, she is turning that memory into a practical water access pilot for Gashora.

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Project lead

Sonia Irakoze

Location

Bugesera, Rwanda

Pilot timeline

Summer 2026

Pilot model

Community-led

Community members near a water source in Gashora, Bugesera, Rwanda. — Water access shapes daily life in Gashora — the community AquaSolve Rwanda is built around.

Sonia's story

Sonia grew up watching a community live beside water it couldn't drink.

For three years, Sonia attended GGAST — Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology — a boarding school on the edge of the Gashora community. Inside the fence: electricity, water at the taps, a classroom. Outside it: children her own age walking for hours to carry one bucket home.

That contrast didn't just stay with her. It bothered her, the way a thing bothers you when you know it isn't right and you know you've seen it. AquaSolve Rwanda is her answer to what she saw from behind that fence.

Sonia Irakoze, founder and project lead of AquaSolve Rwanda

The fence

Inside the compound, water ran from taps. Outside, children carried yellow jerricans.

For three years, Sonia attended GGAST on the edge of Gashora. Inside the fence: electricity, water at the taps, a classroom where she studied science and imagined a bigger future. Outside it, children her own age were not in any classroom — they were walking to find water. From her classroom she could look out and see them. That contrast didn't just stay with her. It bothered her.

The project starts where Sonia first saw the gap — Gashora, Bugesera, Rwanda.

Team

Two people keeping the pilot understandable and organized.

The team section is intentionally concrete: who is coordinating the project, how they support implementation, and where reviewers or partners can verify their profiles.

Sonia Irakoze

Founder / Project Lead

Mechanical engineering student at the University of Rochester leading AquaSolve Rwanda's safe water pilot near Lake Mirayi.

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Nadine Uwizeyimana

Operations & Collaboration Support

Water and sanitation engineer bringing Bugesera systems experience, TechWomen perspective, and operations support to AquaSolve Rwanda.

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Funding & affiliations

The grant, institution, and programs behind the team.

Community & programme partners

GGAST

Host & youth partner

TechGirls

U.S. State Dept. program · Sonia

TechWomen

U.S. State Dept. fellowship · Nadine

RICA

Technical guidance

Feedback

Clear feedback the team can collect before launch.

The site does not invent endorsements. It shows the exact areas where reviewers, local partners, and collaborators can give useful feedback as the pilot moves forward.

A reviewer can respond to the filtration plan, maintenance assumptions, documentation quality, and the readiness of the pilot before installation.

Technical reviewer note

Pilot design and documentation

A local partner can speak to safe water access near Lake Mirayi, collection routines, public tap placement, and the roles needed on the ground.

Community partner note

Local coordination and access needs

A collaborator can review whether responsibilities, communication channels, and partner conversations are clear enough for the project to move responsibly.

Collaborator note

Communication and implementation readiness

Book an intro call for a project walkthrough.

Use the intro call for donor questions, school presentations, technical review, or a partner conversation about solar-powered filtration and local maintenance.

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Organization socials

Placeholder profiles for public project updates.

AquaSolve Rwanda on LinkedIn AquaSolve Rwanda on Instagram