“Umurwa w’Impuhwe” Niboye and Gahanga were the only institutions (orphanages) remaining in Kicukiro District in January 2017. But, they closed their institutional care on 4th February 2017, after one year of a de-institutionalisation process where 84 children were placed in family based care and other alternative care.
Fourteen (14) of them were placed into their biological families, 48 into foster family commonly known as “Malayika Murinzi” while 22 of them have been placed into the community for independent living, for being 18 years old or over.
“Umurwa w’Impuhwe” Niboye and Gahanga opened in 2002, aiming at assisting vulnerable children. However, the two institutions will no longer receive such a child due to the implementation of the National Strategy for Child Care Reform endorsed by the Rwandan Government in 2012. The strategy is implemented through Tubarere Mu Muryango program (TMM) with the aim of family reintegration of all children living in institutions.
According to Espérance Uwicyeza, the TMM Senior Programme Manager at Rwanda National Commission for Children, setting Kicukiro District free of institutional care, is an important step in the implementation of the strategy.
“According to the survey on institutional care in Rwanda conducted in 2012, Kicukiro District was among the first District with a huge number of children living in institutions in the country.We are very happy that all these children are reintegrated into families for their own benefit. We thank Malayika Mulinzi for having received those for whom their families were not found.” Said Uwicyeza
Uwicyeza Espérance, the TMM Senior Programme Manager at NCC
Uwicyeza emphasized that the Government’s aim is not closing institutions; it is rather giving all children their right to live and grow in a family, where they enjoy and gain parental love, essential for their successful emotional, physical, mental, and social development as well as transform those institutions into community and family centered services.
For the safety of children in hosting families, before child placement itself, NCC and stakeholders conducted a family assessment under the guidance of trained social workers and psychologists, to ensure that the family is able to treat the child fairly and provide him/her with all fundamental needs. After the assessment, the families are trained and matched with a child they want to foster to make sure that they fond of each other.
Jacqueline Mukarubuga, lives in Gatenga Sector, Kicukiro District. She went through the process before her family was allowed to foster Itama Patrick, a 14 years old boy from “Umurwa w’Impuhwe.” She attended the closing ceremonies of “Umurwa w’impuhwe” Niboye-Gahanga, with her husband and Itama. For her, the living style of children in institutions motivated her to foster one of them.
“The children living in institutions are very miserable and pitiful. They don’t gain complete education. Even though they live with others, they are emotionally isolated. I decided to foster my son Itama with no any other interest. We love him and he loves us. We are all very happy” Said Mukarubuga
Mukarubuga, her husband and Itama Patrick giving their testimony during the closing ceremonies
Mukarubuga emphasized that receiving a child doesn’t need much wealth. “You only need a good will and basic need to ensure that his fundamental rights are respected” she pointed out.
The work is not over
The children in “Umurwa w’Impuhwe” Niboye-Gahanga, have been placed in family, but their reintegration process is not yet finished. There will be continuous post-placement follow-up to ensure that families are able to look after the children and to prevent any maltreatment of the children.
“NCC staff do regular post-placement follow-up to make sure that a child is enjoying his rights in a family. But this is an exercise that needs every one’s efforts and contribution to be very effective.” Said Uwicyeza.
The stakeholders in the post-placement follow-up include local government, Inshuti z’umuryango (Child protection volunteers), parents in general, Hope and Homes for Children and any other responsible physical or moral person.
Emmanuel Baingana, the Vice Mayor in charge of social affairs in Kicukiro District confirmed his commitment to strengthen and sustain the reintegration process by improving local leaders’ involvement in post-placement follow-up. He revealed that no one should be worried about the closing of institutional care, as this process goes hand in hand with different mechanisms aiming at removing all problems that separate children from their families.
Uwicyeza commended the management of “Umurwa w’impuhwe” for having contributed to the education of the children they hosted since 2002, but urged them to change their infrastructure into other facilities that provide services to children and community in general.
The management of “Umurwa w’Impuhwe” has not yet decided what the compound will be serving for. However, they expressed the commitment continuing to supporting the children in their families.
“We hope that the children will be more protected in their families given that NCC made a deep assessment of a child and family prior to placement. We will continue to support them. Leaving our institution doesn’t stop our support; they are still alive to be supported” Pointed out Agnes Mukaniyonzima, who represented the owner of “Umurwa w’impuhwe” at the event.
A de-institutionalisation pilot phase was carried out in Kicukiro District which resulted into Mpore Pefa de-institutionalisation in 2012, to be the first institution to phase out with professional assistance.
The closure of “Umurwa w’impuhwe” Gahanga –Niboye’s institutional care, marked the end of the service in Kicukiro District, as they were the only remaining institutions providing the service in that District. In 2011, Kicukiro hosted 5 institutions, but they all closed the service after completing the children placement into families and the community.
Currently, more than 2,500 children have been reintegrated in family and community country wide while more than 1,200 children remaining in institutions are to be moved.
