Kigali, September 6, 2013- The use of multiple strategies consistent with an underlying theory of behavior change is critical to success of reducing child institutionalization in Rwanda. This was raised in a one day meeting that convened all District officers in charge of Gender and Family Promotion and other partners engaged in child rights protection interventions to share fact findings on children reintegration milestone.

Participants in the meeting expressed that a community based educational program aimed at increasing awareness on the basics of positive parenting must be designed. Participants emphasized that interventions are more effective when they are integrated into the community and when approaches are tailored to address unique community characteristics such as literacy or socioeconomic status.

Opening the meeting officially in Kigali, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion Henriette Umulisa highlighted the importance of citizens’ involvement as government moves to implement the child alternative care program.

“The public should know that activities planned are meant for them since child rights protection is every one’s responsibility. They need to take part in activities that are initiated (by the government) in their interests, and family is a foundation of every child’s proper growth,” she said.

Legislation is another strategy that was paired with educational campaigns in community-based interventions. Participants said that a parent found to have abandoned a child should be punished by the law to threaten and prevent future irresponsible parents. “Parents should be held accountable for their actions of abandoning children, and to maximize success, efforts should be targeted broadly to increase parents’ awareness of the importance of raising children in families, overcome resistance to children reintegration into families, educating households and pass legislation enforcing child care,” said one of the participants.

On the other hand, the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion Odda Gasinzigwa said a comparative analysis of children reintegrated into families is a must to make sure these children do not become a burden to families that received them. The government of Rwanda developed through National Commission for Children (NCC) developed child protection and care systems across the country, focusing on the use of institutions, alternative forms of care placements, family support services, and the role of social workers in the process of child placement.

Child institutionalization is a problem in Rwanda and it occurs despite wide recognition that institutional care is associated with negative consequences for children’s growth and development. (For example, young children in institutional care are more likely to suffer from poor health, physical underdevelopment and deterioration in brain growth, developmental delay and emotional attachment disorders. Consequently, these children have reduced intellectual, social and behavioral abilities compared with those growing up in a family home.

Child abandonment happens because parents can’t support their children or they are just irresponsible. It can also happen because a parent may not be ready to take care of a child because they may still have school ahead, also when girls don’t have enough money to support their child for food or clothing. Also mostly because teenage girls aren’t allowed to have children at an early age and some are just embarrassed knowing that they already have a child.

Whereas the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of local government Vincent Munyeshyaka, emphasized streamlining of Districts reporting mechanism in line with families that received children to ease follow up, and support of those families as a proactive approach to prevent future child abandonment and neglect.

According to NCC Executive Secretary, Zaina Nyiramatama, child abandonment can lead to harm or even death of a child. “I don’t understand why parents can do such things. Just knowing it’s their own flesh blood. People say when we throw away our children we throw away our future and this is why child abandonment should be stopped,” said Zaina.

The Minister added that what is needed is everyone’s participation in the implementation of alternative child care program. “We need everyone to know that more people are watching as we move to implement this program,” she said.

The meeting organized by NCC also discussed on a systematic mechanism of identifying and listing children of 18 years and above still living in institutions so that they can be given vocational training to enable them to live an independent life outside the institutions.