{{At the end of December 2012, an eleven months old baby boy was discovered abandoned in Rutoki village, Karugira cell, Kigarama Sector in Kicukiro district. }}
Because of their awareness on the negative effects of deinstitutionalisation, Karugira community volunteers, did not rush the child to an orphanage,but found another solution.
They took him to one of the Malayika Murinzi who, in turn took care of him until they finally succeeded to locate his relatives.
He is now in safe family environment. Since then those volunteers are ready to deal with cases of child abandonment wherever and whenever they may occur in that cell.
These community volunteers who have since formed a solid child care network were recruited and trained by Hope and Homes for children, an International development organisation that works to ensure that children do not suffer the effects of institutional care in Rwanda.
Community volunteers aim to prevent child abandonment, institutionalisation and to ensure the children’s right are protected and promoted.
In a meeting held with Community volunteers on April 1, 2013, the Cell officer in charge of social and economic development in Karugira informed participants that through their network they were able to handle cases of child abandonment in their community.
They attributed their success to the trainings they received and the presence of people with a good heart to care for abandoned children.
One of their top priorities is to prevent child abandonment that leads children to orphanages or other institutional care.
According to Hope and Homes for Children, long-term stay in residential care can have lasting negative impact on children particularly those less than three years of age.
“They are at risk of permanent developmental damage by not being cared for in a family setting” said Claudine Murebwayire a Social Worker from Hope and Homes for Children.
Claudine emphasized the importance of recruiting more foster carers. She reminded participants to recruit more ‘Malayika Murinzi’ given the fact that there are many people at risk of abandoning children.
“If you can manage to recruit as many Malayika Murinzi as possible, then every abandoned children will enjoy the right to live in loving families not in orphanages”.
According to Mr Vedaste Uwimana the cell officer in charge of social and economic development, there are many single mothers, sex workers and other vulnerable persons whose signs show they can abandon their children at any time.
Margaret Mukangoma, one of those community volunteers said “when quarrel erupted between one couple in my neighbourhood, I knew that there would be a family breakdown leading to children abandonment.
Afterwards, the wife decided to run away and the husband was unable to cater for his children.
To prevent those children from institutionalisation, we convinced their grandmother to accept them into her home. Now they are happy.”
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