Delight Rwanda created a five years’ project of Homeless Children Care aim to support and take care of street children by providing free daily restaurant, clean water, toilet, bath facilities, accommodation, health care services, mentorship, education, and reintegrating them into their families.
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Edward MWEREKANDE,
President of the Board of Directors
of Delight Rwanda says that the
Organization take care of
Homeless Children from a
psychological point of view, we try
to listen to these children, to help
them to recover slowly from the
trauma, and to regain confidence in
themselves and others. We want
children to be happy, to continue
studying and learning to read, but
also to play. They receive new
clothes and uniforms and regain
respect for adults and other
children.
Various interrelated factors leading to the existence of the problem of
street children in Kigali include Poverty, family breakdown, child
abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Many families who are marginalized
economically have become seriously dysfunctional.
UNICEF Rwanda estimates that there are about 7,000 street children in the country while close to 300,000 live in families where a minor is the head of the household.
The economic
challenges, domestic violence,
parental irresponsibility, and
broken family relationships have
exacerbated the situation of street
children.
On the street, children also suffer from lack of sleep. They rest for only a few hours a day, sleeping on cardboard with one eye open in fear that someone will steal the few things they have. Many risk taking drugs to forget their problems.
As a result, the children find themselves in circumstances that result in them leaving home and engaging in the unprotected and hazardous street life rather than trying to survive the dysfunctional family environment.
