{The government of Rwanda has since 2012 committed to integrating children from orphanages into foster families within two years but 1500 of the 3,800 children from orphanages have not yet found host families. }
The integration plan was conceived under the program dubbed ‘Tumurerere mu Muryango’ (Let’s up-bring him/her in family). It was adopted following the outcomes of the research indicating that a child brought up in family receives better education than those in orphanages.
The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion Dr.Diane Gashumba has told IGIHE that the plan faced challenges including misunderstanding and inadequate analysts of the program to integrate orphans in families.
“Adopting a child is not an easy decision. It requires teaching; gauging the reason why a family needs a child. It also requires much time. Employees in the National Commission for Children in charge of this program are inadequate,” she said.
She explained that they are holding talks with The Ministry of Public Service and Labor to increase employees in the program of reintegrating orphans in families and making a follow up as well.
The follow up is meant to avoid hard labor or oppression for adopted orphan.
The government of Rwanda has allocated Rwf 800,000,000 of this year’s national budget to increase mobilization so that children remaining in orphanages and on streets can be adopted as well.
Following such policies Minister Gashumba acknowledges the matter will have been solved by 2016.
“All children should have been adopted not later than next year,” she said.
The matter of children was discussed during the 13th leadership retreat where President Paul Kagame asked stakeholders to explain why children are still wandering on Kigali streets and suburbs.
Leave a Reply