Collaborating for Impact in Rwanda

Learning, Impact, and Collaboration: OPX Partners in Rwanda

Earlier this summer, a team from OPX Partners traveled to Rwanda to take part in the Rwanda Project, a unique initiative combining professional growth, cultural exchange, and community collaboration.

Ebba Örtenblad, Sally Isakas, and Alex Johansson focused on developing solutions for Viebeg Medical, while Felice Gelin and Jakob Hägglund collaborated with Water Access Rwanda. For many of the participants, the project was a chance to step outside their usual context and grow both personally and professionally.

“I saw it as a unique opportunity to experience a completely different environment, work with local communities, and take on greater professional responsibility while discovering a new culture,” says Jakob Hägglund.

“I hoped to contribute fresh perspectives and structure, while learning more about the East African business context and strengthening my project management skills,” says Ebba Örtenblad.

Supporting local organizations

With Viebeg Medical, they developed tools to strengthen pricing accuracy, cost tracking, and sales support, while also identifying strategic priorities for growth. Together with Water Access Rwanda, they built a forecasting model to support investor dialogues and carbon credit initiatives.

“On our first day, we visited rural communities where Water Access’ systems are installed. Seeing the impact firsthand was inspiring with improved health, less deforestation, and fewer long walks for water, giving more girls the chance to attend school. A powerful example of real social impact in action,” says Jakob Hägglund.

Lessons and insights

Beyond concrete deliverables, the experience gave the team valuable lessons in adaptability, collaboration, and the role business solutions can play in driving social change.

“A large takeaway for me was realizing you can create real value even in an unfamiliar context, if you stay humble, adaptable, and truly focus on the client’s needs,” says Sally Isakas.

“One key insight was that lasting  social impact comes from sustainable, long-term investment. We learned that too often, foreign initiatives focus on treating symptoms, whereas Water Access showed us that lasting change requires systematic, long-term solutions, not short-term fixes,” say Felice and Jakob.

“This experience gave megave me more confidence in trusting my abilities, while also reinforcing the importance of humility and adapting to the client’s unique situation,” says Alex Johansson.

“One of the highlights for me was hearing fromour client expressed how much they learned from our collaboration and the positive impact our work had,” says Ebba Örtenblad.