The leading causes of death in Rwanda, as in many African countries, are HIV/AIDS and TB. Estimates vary widely, but most believe that between 8 and 13 percent of Rwanda's population is infected with HIV. Rwanda has among the highest rates of TB in Africa. Malaria is a major cause of death, and maternal mortality rates are high. The shortage of medical personnel is acute. Exacerbating the situation is the country's history of political and social unrest, which culminated in the 1994 genocide.

Physicians from the DGHE and Partners In Health began their work in rural Rwanda in 2005. Inshuti Mu Buzima (IMB - Kinyarwandan for Partners In Health) was created in collaboration with the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative, established by former president Bill Clinton. In cooperation with a group of Rwandan co-workers, DGHE clinicians and PIH initiated a comprehensive AIDS prevention and care program aimed at the neediest populations.

The project team has worked with Rwandan health authorities to reopen and refurbish Rwinkwavu Hospital, which within a year boasted five inpatient wards, 80 beds, a pediatric facility, a functioning laboratory and a modern infectious disease unit. At an adjoining health center, the team is providing a range of medical services, including HIV prevention and treatment, TB treatment, ambulatory primary care, and maternal health services. In 2006, a total of 1,969 patients received antiretroviral treatment from six sites in the country, with almost four thousand people tested and new patients being enrolled on therapy at a rate of a hundred people per month. Patients are cared for by a team of physicians, nurses, social workers and hundreds of accompagnateurs, or community health workers.

The team in Rwanda also launched the Program on Social and Economic Rights, which provides health insurance, housing, education and food to families affected by HIV and tuberculosis.

By the summer of 2008, PIH and DGHE’s work had expanded to seven health centers and two district hospitals in Rwanda. Additionally, PIH began supporting the Rwandan government in scaling up the PIH model to all 27 rural health districts in the country within the next 5-7 years.