Rwanda – Family Strengthening in Gicumbi

In the Gicumbi District, a large proportion of rural families only have a small section of land to live on, which is not enough to earn a living. This leads to over-farming and the consequent degradation of the land, contributing to extremely high levels of malnutrition. More than 65% of the population in the district is illiterate, and children from rural areas often have to travel long distances to the nearest school. The root causes of the problems of children in Nyamiyaga, Gicumbi District are widespread poverty, limited knowledge of children’s rights and effective parenting, and gaps in existing community child protection services.

This programme aims to target approximately 3,000 vulnerable children and youth from 300 poverty-stricken households. These include 100 households run by a single parent or an adolescent. The project aims to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable families, improve access to nutritious food for the children, raise awareness of the rights and needs of children and strengthen existing community child protection mechanisms and structures.

Counselling and psychological support are given to both children and caregivers, and families affected by HIV/AIDS are assisted with access to health care. Caregivers are supported in protecting and caring for their children, with training in good-parenting and guidance on income-generating skills to ensure children have access to educational, nutritional and health services. SOS Rwanda also works together with local stakeholders to strengthen the available support systems in the community.

Overall Goals

• Improve the quality of care, support and protection of children deprived of adequate parental care.
• 300 vulnerable families have improved livelihoods and economic stability to provide quality care and protection to their children.
• 300 caregivers and 3,000 community members actively protect vulnerable children without adequate parental care.
• State and non-state local child protection structures in the Nyamiyaga Sector actively prevent unnecessary separation of children and young people from their families.

Photo: Anne Kidmose