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Discussed various programs designed to help and protect children
On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at the end of a three-day national conference organized by the National Center for Child Development and Protection (NCDA) in partnership with the Umuriga Imbuto Foundation, which brought together relevant agencies in child development, the aim is to find solutions to the problems that still exist in ECD, such as helping children of this age group stimulate their brains through the curriculum developed by the NCDA.
At the end of this session, titled “Developing the Future, We Promote Social Development of Children in a Sustainable Way”, the Minister of Equality and Community Development, Sole Uwimana, asked Rwandans to stay healthy and take care of their children’s cleanliness.
“When we looked at the most recent census in Rwanda, we found that there were 5,896,601 children, which is equivalent to 44.5% of the total population of Rwanda,” he said. “Of these, there were 2,426,016 children under the age of six, which is 41% of the total number of children, but 18% of the total population. In order for these children to become who they want to be and achieve real results in Rwanda, they need different services.”
Minister Sole Uwimana calls on Rwandans to take care of children’s health
He continued, “These include saving their lives, providing them with quality education, nutritious food, speaking out against any violence that may be inflicted on them, taking care of their hygiene, giving them time to play, talking to them, etc. Most of these services will be provided in foster homes for children in the country.
Since the Rwandan government decided to launch the Child Nutrition Program (ECD) in 2011, it has achieved results in the fight against malnutrition and stunting, as the 2020 health survey showed that the stunting rate has dropped from 44% to 33%, while the number of malnourished children has increased from 3% to 1%.
The fact that social families are productive for children’s growth was also confirmed by some of the foster care communities who said that social families are very important to them because it was previously found that children failed because they did not have the opportunity to receive quality education.
Participants expressed satisfaction with the conclusions of the meeting
Tacienne Nyirabagenzi of Gasata ward in Gasabo district said their children remain well-mannered and open-minded.
He said: “Our children used to fail and found that they went to sawing wood (picking up metal). He started school and was the last one because he did not cut the floor that year, but now because they cut it first, they have gained a lot of knowledge. Our children know how to count and write. They are polite and courteous. These parents are very important to us.”
NCDA Director General Assumpta Ingabire said they have been meeting for several days and their purpose in preparing for the meeting is to do more for children under three years old.
Some people involved in protecting and caring for children’s health also attended the meeting and expressed their opinions.
“A child under three in our care doesn’t cry, his brain is growing at 80 percent of the rate of an adult, and 80 percent of children under three we don’t want crying,” he said. “For it to last three years is heartbreaking for us, and we want all institutions to treat this as something that lasts a long time in a child’s life.”
The number of foster homes increased from 4,010 in January 2018 to 31,638 in June 2024, the number of foster children increased from 256,677 to 1,149,699, the number of trained caregivers increased from 35,712 to 101,809, and there were 88,846 parent management committees.
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