Breaking the silence on stroke in Rwanda on World Stroke Day

30 Mar 2022 Stroke awareness

Stroke Action Rwanda took the lead in marking World Stroke Day for the first time in Rwanda. The personal commitment, dedication and hard work of its President, Dr Joseph Rukelibuga, led to a World Stroke Campaign Award for Individual Achievement.

Stroke Action Rwanda, a stroke support organization founded by stroke survivors and registered in May 2021, took the lead in marking World Stroke Day for the first time in Rwanda. The personal commitment, dedication and hard work of its President, Dr Joseph Rukelibuga, has led to a World Stroke Campaign Award for Individual Achievement.

Stroke Action Rwanda’s mission is to be involved in action to fight stroke, and reduce the burden on people affected by stroke through prevention, treatment, and long-term care. ‘For us, stroke survivors, World Stroke Day is an opportunity to raise stroke awareness in the community by sharing our lived experience, challenges encountered and choices made to overcome those challenges’, says Dr Joseph Rukelibuga, President of Stroke Action Rwanda.

‘Our event included two kinds of story, those who got the chance for timely access to quality stroke care compared and those who missed this opportunity. The impact is quite different and this has helped us promote the message Minutes can save lives.’

In a country where stroke is the third leading cause of death, many people do not know how they could prevent stroke, they are not aware of stroke symptoms, or that they need to seek treatment immediately. Stroke Action Rwanda recognises that World Stroke Day is a valuable opportunity to raise public awareness. In 2021, it also gave the opportunity to launch the newly founded stroke support organization. Prior to World Stroke Day, Dr Rukelibuga and two Stroke Action Rwanda board members, had an interview with the TV station TV1 to promote World Stroke Day to the public. They stressed the seriousness of stroke and the high rates of death and disability in the country. They shared information about risk factors, the signs of stroke and the need for timely access to quality stroke treatment. They also talked about the need for better care and support for stroke survivors.

Stroke Action Rwanda began by contacting local partners in the health sector and invited them to collaborate in marking World Stroke Day. Dr Rukelibuga and Stroke Action Rwanda funded the venue at Kigali Serena Hotel to host the World Stroke Day event, along with the posters and flyers. Two weeks before the event Stroke Action Rwanda contacted newspapers and requested them to write articles on stroke in the local language. In a context where stroke is not frequently spoken about publicly and where there is no national stroke awareness and prevention campaigns, Stroke Action Rwanda aimed to break the silence on stroke. In the days before the event, various TV and broadcasting agencies invited them to talk about World Stroke Day and their plans.

The event in itself was a blend of key messages on stroke from various leaders, testimonies from stroke survivors, poetry and cultural troupe dancing. The event was attended by the Ministry of Health, Rwanda Biomedical Center, NCD Alliance Rwanda and the National Council of People Living with Disabilities. For the first time the Ministry of Health expressed concerns that if a robust awareness campaign is not set up quickly, stroke incidence will continue to rise and likely become the leading cause of death in the country in just a few years. The Ministry of Health matched its concern with a commitment to take the lead in organizing future World Stroke Day events.

In recognition of his work and commitment to raising awareness of stroke in Rwanda and delivering the first World Stroke Day event, Dr Rukelibuga received the World Stroke Campaign Individual Achievement Award. WSO’s Campaign Committee were impressed by Dr Rukelibuga’s commitment and hard work to debut World Stroke Day in Rwanda and recognized his achievements in relation to increasing public awareness and policy maker engagement.

On receipt of the Award, Dr Rukelibuga said ‘I am so grateful to the WSO who created this recognition and to the WSO Award Committee who selected me. This is an outstanding incentive on my journey of raising stroke awareness and advocacy in my country.’

A recording of Stroke Action Rwanda’s World Stroke Day event is available here