Rwanda
The streets of Rwanda's cities and towns are "home" to multitudes of children and youth who have no parents or other adult mentors or caregivers. They are part of the all-encompassing tragedy of genocide, war, and HIV/AIDS.
They live by their wits, often using illegal means to earn enough money to survive. They scrounge in rubbish; they find dubious shelter in ditches or alleys; they are subject to weather, and are easy prey to disease and unscrupulous adults.
Some of these children are cared for on some level by compassionate adults who take them in for shelter, but who are for the most part too poor to provide even their most basic needs. Virtually none of these children go to school. Prostitution offers a grim and dangerous option to many.
We are partnering with AEE to respond to the educational, emotional, physical and health needs of street children in Rwanda through an education and outreach project.
The education component is enabling street children to attend a 'catch-up' primary school program and learn vocational skills such as sewing and carpentry.
The outreach component involves building relationships with children who are still on the street through sporting competitions and a mobile healthcare clinic which operates on a weekly basis.
AEE has established a rehabilitation centre in the town of Rwamagana in Rwanda, called the Centre for Champions. The main goal of the Centre is to take children and youths out of their hopeless lives on the streets or in desperately poor homes and give them a purpose in life, and the means to accomplish this purpose.
There are two aspects of education at the Centre. Catch-up schooling and vocational training. Where a child has not completed primary school education, they will be put into the appropriate level of the accelerated catch-up school program which covers the curriculum of primary school in 3 years. Once the child has completed this catch-up program, they will be equipped to do vocational training.
Project Goals
. To provide catch-up schooling and vocational training.
. To provide healthcare and psychological counselling
. To provide sports facilities to promote physical development and well being.
. To identify foster families for the children.
The Foundation is supporting the education of these children. There are currently 180 children living at the Centre. There is the capacity for many more children to come and reside at this facility, but funds are needed to enable AEE to accommodate more children.
The aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide is still being felt today. Children that were orphaned by the disaster automatically became the head of the household, hence the term ‘Child Headed Households’ (CHH), which makes up over 13% of Rwandan families. These children had to abandon their schooling and they now suffer from social and psychological problems.
The vulnerability of these children was also highlighted by a 1998 study by UNICEF, particularly the extreme vulnerability of girls.
The Child Headed Household Project is partnered by the African Evangelistic Enterprise. It seeks to provide a support network for CHH by establishing mechanisms for the protection of children from abuse. It also provides access to technical training to increase job opportunities.
The primary objective of Hope Rwanda is to help restore hope and justice to this nation through poverty reduction initiatives that achieve sustainable development, and bring spiritual and social strength to every segment of society.
One of the most powerful initiatives is the VILLAGE OF HOPE. This is a purpose-built community for widows and orphans, providing much needed housing for the most vulnerable. The Village of Hope is a self-sustaining, holistic model providing for the complete needs of the child, widow and the community. Currently we have built 26 houses that are occupied by 26 desperate families in need of adequate shelter - the average family group size is 7 people (maximum of 10). The Village of Hope provides community, support, dignity and a fresh start for people who have lost so much. The widows are trained to maintain the homes, and farm the surrounding land to provide them with an income, in addition to grief counseling, income generation project training and community building activities/events. The three bedroom houses come fully furnished including an outdoor kitchen, pit latrine and a rain water tank.
Our vision is to acquire a further 50 acres of land and builds many more homes, a community centre and a skills training centre - equipping the entire local population with much-needed life skills and a community heart.
The Revival Palace Community project in Kigali will empower locals to be a resource to their local community in the areas of education, counseling and small business. This partnership involves child education sponsorship and direct empowerment of a small community.
Revival Palace is a community located in Gisozi, Kigali Rwanda. Revival Palace runs a church, a school and numerous community initiatives. The Revival Palace Community Project will empower locals to be a resource to their local community in the areas of education, counseling and small business:
• Education support through provision of buildings, furniture and student sponsorship to children too impoverished to be able to afford school.
• Teacher training for non-government schools not able to attend existing Hope Education Team training using the same syllabus and resources.
• Counseling support will train identified leaders within the community. Educating them in the areas of depression, trauma, sexual abuse and grief and loss.
• Train and equip locals in the area of small business. This provides income generating opportunities and skills to develop further employment and self sustainability. We work with a local tailoring business and through workshops and classes for making crafts to sell as souvenirs in shops and markets. We have donated sewing machines and craft supplies to help provide the necessary capital for these ventures.
Hope Education works closely with the Rwandan Government in its strategic plan for poverty reduction and on the role education plays in the improvement of the welfare of the population. Since 2006 Hope Rwanda Education has been partnering with the Rwandan Ministry of Education and the Rwandan Teachers' Association to improve their education systems and provide on-going teacher training and mentoring. In 2009 we trained around 1,000 government teachers from all over Rwanda in various stages of a 3-year 'Train the Trainer' pathway for English and student-centered teaching pedagogy. In 2010 we will be involved in providing training for tertiary education providers and middle management in the Rwandan Ministry of Education.
As of 2009, 80% of Rwandan National Teacher Trainers were graduates of the Hope Rwanda Education Project Training Pathway.
Our motto is 'Teachers - more precious than gold'. Our primary goal is to encourage teachers in their significance of their role in society and in the impact they will have on the future generation of Rwanda's leaders. Hope Rwanda believes education provides the foundation for economic growth and self development. It brings additional benefits in health, governance, gender equality, stability and security. Millennium Development Goals include specific targets for achieving universal primary education and gender parity at all levels of education.
