Caritas Kigali’s Abadacogora-Intwari in partnership with National Rehabilitation Services (NRS) have committed themselves to eradicate street children problem within two years.

The deputy Director General of NRS, ACP Gilbert Rwampungu

said that in six next month Gitagata Rehabilitation Center will be accommodating more than 400 children. “The fact that rehabilitating young children is easier than rehabilitating older ones assures that we will afford to eradicate this problem within two years” He adds.

Apart from being a rehabilitation center, Gitagata comprises schools at the instance that children without families will be studying in those schools. The number of street children is also decreasing to the extent that it won’t be difficult to rehabilitate them.

Officials say that there are doing mobilisations targeting parents to prevent new children going on street. Rehabilitation centers are also collaborating to put an end to this problem.

ACP Gumira affirms that rehabilitation trainings offered to street children by Abadacogora-Intwari center will contribute a lot in reaching this two years target.

Some parents say that poverty is the main cause which incites children going on street, but Father Donatien Twizeyumuremyi, director of Caritas Kigali says that the main cause must be the lack of responsibility to parents who don’t educate their children in families. He states that an irresponsible parent shouldn’t give birth to a child.

“The main problem is poor education in families and parents who never give time to their children. Sometimes this incites those children to go on street” He adds.

Father Twizeyumuremyi adds that some parents don’t behave appropriately at the instance that their behaviors are sources of conflict in families.

Abadacogora-Intwari center trains rehabilitated children to resist family conflicts to the extent that some of them afford to live with their families’ problems after being rehabilitated, instead of going back on street.

Marie Solange Irumva representing parents whose children were on street says their families have made a progress thanks to support offered by Abadacogora-Intwari center.

“I’m pleased by their initiatives which made us develop ourselves. I was a street trader, but now I am selling clothes and my child go to school without problem” she says.

She adds that, as parents they committed themselves to collaborate with Abadacogora-Intwari center to eradicate street children problem.

Within celebrations of African child day, students who have graduated in vocational schools were offered basic equipment to start their new life, whereas those who were recently rehabilitated were sent back in their families. 

Done by Editor