A delegation from the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) traveled to Rwanda to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of Nemba Hospital, an entity the UMH collaborates with through the UMH Headquarters in Rwanda Chair.

Individuals representing the UMH at this event included Mariano Pérez Arroyo, the former director of the Center of Cooperation at the UMH; and Lis Gaibar, who today is the co-director of the UMH Headquarters in Rwanda Chair and who is also a coordinator of the volunteer program the university operates in the African country.

Rwandan authorities present at the event included the Rwandan Minister of Health, the mayor of Gakenke, the Bishop of Ruhengeri, and the director of Nemba Hospital, among others. During the ceremony, Mariano Pérez Arroyo, who for over 15 years coordinated UMH activities in country there and who worked as a physician at Nemba Hospital, explained the tasks that the UMH has performed over the last two decades. He stressed the importance of specialized training to improve healthcare there, something that the university has been working towards for several years. Moreover, he awarded a commemorative plaque for the hospital on behalf of UMH rector, Juan José Ruiz, and the Vice Rectorate for Internationalization and Cooperation.

The history of Nemba Hospital dates to 1974, when NGO, Medicus Mundi, with which the UMH collaborates closely, allocated funding from citizens of Navarra (Spain) and other donors to establish a health center in this area of the country. Formal participation by the UMH then began in early 2000 through Mariano Pérez Arroyo, who was then a part of Medicus Mundi and also worked as a UMH lecturer. He spearheaded several improvements to infrastructure and training courses for hospital staff, which were funded and organized by the UMH. Over time, UMH involvement at Nemba Hospital and other institutions in the country improved and consolidated, both in terms of infrastructure and for providing equipment, as well as in the training levels for its healthcare personnel. These actions are complemented by the annual volunteer program, which enables the university community to collaborate at Nemba Hospital, assisting in several areas: socio-healthcare, psychology, physiotherapy, providing training for garde de malade (patient caregivers), laboratory tasks, etc.

The visit by the UMH contingent to Rwanda coincided with a delegation from the regional Government of Navarra, which was led by its Minister of Social Rights, Social Economy, and Employment, Mari Carmen Maeztu; representatives from Navarra NGOs; and Medicus Mundi from Navarra-Aragón-Madrid (NAM), among others.