The International Development Cooperation Volunteering Program at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) in Rwanda has won the thirteenth edition of the University Volunteer Awards, which are given by the Mutua Madrileña Foundation. The award was given in the University Solidarity category, which recognizes and supports volunteer projects promoted by universities and in which students enrolled in university programs participate.

The UMH began its international development cooperation efforts in Rwanda in 2004 with the aim of improving education and social and health care in the Northern Province of the African country. Since that time, it has maintained a stable presence in the territory and carried out ongoing activities in hospitals such as those in Nemba and Ruhengeri, as well as at various schools, combining infrastructure reinforcement with training and support programs for Rwandan professionals, students, and local communities.

In this context, in 2011 the UMH International Development Cooperation Volunteer Program in Rwanda was launched, with participation by UMH students, faculty, staff, and alumni. This initiative combines solid training, both prior to departure and then also in country, with direct volunteer work in the areas of education, health, and community support. In its latest edition, during summer 2025, five students participated in the program, and they traveled to Rwanda alongside other UMH community members to carry out educational, health, and community support work at Apeki-Tumba Vocational School, San Francisco Javier Hospital of Nemba, and at an organization that supports teenage mothers in the Northern Province of the country.

The summer group, which stayed in Rwanda for one month, participated alongside other UMH community members, the latter of whom traveled for two weeks in June to carry out training activities at schools and hospitals with which the university collaborates. Currently, the Vice Rectorate for Internationalization and Cooperation is planning the upcoming 12th edition of the UMH Volunteer Program in Rwanda, for which about 50 people have applied to travel to the field for three different stays: two 2-week stays in May 2026 and January 2027, and one month-long stay in the summer of 2027.