Prior to 1994, Rwanda's human-development indicators were better than the regional average. The civil war from 1990 that culminated in the 1994 genocide and mass refugee flight had a severe economic impact. Real annual GDP growth was recorded as -10% in 1993, and -49% in 1994. In 1995, government revenues were only 7% of GDP - among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 1995, economic recovery has been rapid, but incomplete. Real annual GDP growth between 1995 and 2001 averaged 8.2%, while in 2002, the growth rate of 7.5% was nearly double the sub-Saharan average. However, real GDP in 1998 reached only 85% of its 1990 levels. Per capita GDP is only $200. Willy is part of the poorest 10% of the population, which consume 4.2% of the country's resources, while the richest 10% consume 24.2%. .
The communes of Nyagatare and Kahi lie to the east of Willy's village, which were settled since before the war. These have relatively better developed infrastructures and a greater NGO presence than the communes further north or west. In Willy's village, water for human consumption is largely insufficient, and the majority of dwellings are far away from clean water sources. One-third of all water installations were damaged in 1994, and 25% of people in rural areas (in which 94% of the population live) have no access to safe drinking water. 6 000 child deaths every year from diarrhoea could be prevented if the water supply were improved. To obtain water from a pump, families have to pay 100 Rwandan francs. Those who cannot afford to pay 200 francs for a 20 litre jerry-can of drinking water from the trading store 5km away, have to use water from a nearby stream, which may carry bilharzia. Some of Willy's friends live in Ruhengeri, including Emmanuel, who returned to Rwanda with his parents in 1996 from Tanzania, after they had fled in 1994, along with more than 2 million other refugees who fled to Rwanda's border countries - Tanzania, the Republic of Congo (then Zare), Burundi and Uganda.