program description:
“Before Mutuelle, I would sit at home and think, ‘this could be my time to die”
In 2003, Mutuelle De Sante, a low-cost health care plan, became part of Rwanda’s national system. Mutuelle covers pre- and post-natal care, vaccinations, family planning, minor surgical operations, and generic drugs. This cost of health insurance is an affordable $4 per year, however, under the terms of Mutuelle, an individual cannot be solely covered, but rather the entire family must be registered together. This creates an overwhelming financial burden for families in rural Rwanda where the average family size is six people. In the villages in which Shooting Touch operates, families often opt out of this system, unable to pay for their whole family at registration time in July.
Conscious of Rwanda's goal of 100% of inhabitants with health insurance as well as understanding the financial toll it can have on families with limited income outside of the capital city of Kigali, ST takes major steps towards helping our communities by supplying participants and their families with yearly health insurance.
Program Goals:
Increased number of participant and community coverage of Mutuelle De Sante Health Insurance
Increased access to and utilizing of health services
Increased knowledge surrounding benefits of utilizing health services
program outcomes:
Since the inception of our Health Care Sponsorship in 2016, Shooting Touch has provided annual health insurance for 21,566 people; this is annual coverage for participants and their household members. With consistent education, advocating to break stigmas, and placing our organization as a major link to health services, we are accomplishing our mission of creating healthier and happier lives.
Number of People Sponsored for Health Insurance
“Life without health insurance was very complicated. It was hard because my parents could only afford either school or health insurance. We had to choose between these two things. I would get sick often and sometimes miss school twice a week. I had to study when I was sick and it was so difficult to succeed. Now, my life is better.”