Vulnerable children and families in Kigarama Sector, Kicukiro District, are receiving expanded support under a five-year partnership between CANAL Rwanda, CanalBox and Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda.

The partnership has grown from improving the community centre’s infrastructure and providing equipment to supporting children’s education, nutrition and creative development, as well as programmes for adolescent mothers.

The latest intervention was marked on September 25 with the inauguration of an art room equipped with materials and space for children to take part in regular painting and drawing classes.

Aimé Abizera, Chief Executive Officer of CANAL Rwanda, said the company has provided furniture and equipment, including chairs, tables, televisions and screens, enabling children to take part in recreational activities such as watching sports in a safe environment.

It has also provided educational materials, including pencils, paper and drawing supplies, to help children learn and develop talents beyond the conventional school curriculum.

"We want to contribute also to the development of the local community, the development of the country, and we believe that children are the future of the world and obviously the future of Rwanda,” Abizera said.

Supporting children and families

CANAL Rwanda has also contributed to school feeding, particularly lunch for children from vulnerable families, many of whom are teenage mothers, as well as school materials and uniforms during the back-to-school period.

During the latest activity, the company provided school essentials for 118 children and food items, including porridge flour, maize flour, cooking oil and rice, to needy families.

The interventions are guided by Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda to ensure that support provided reflects the needs of children and the schools they attend.

Abizera explained that the partnership has evolved over the five years. The first year focused on improvements to the centre, including painting, doors and windows. The second focused on television equipment and preparing rooms for children, while the third expanded activities for teenagers.

The fourth year placed greater emphasis on supporting and educating young women, including raising awareness about adolescent pregnancy. This year, the focus shifted to creative development through the new art room.

The company also plans to establish a digital laboratory next year, equipped with computers and free CanalBox internet, to help mothers develop basic digital skills, according to Abizera.

"The proposed facility will help mothers develop basic digital literacy skills, including how to use computers, send emails and access online information,” he said.

Keeping children with their families

Vidivi Immaculée Karangwa, Executive Director of Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda, said the centre was established to help prevent children from being separated from their families.

The organisation began working in Kigarama in 2010 after closing an orphanage and shifting towards a prevention-based approach.

"The centre provides early childhood development services to children aged between three and five, who transition to primary school at six,” she said. "It also operates during school holidays and offers help to different clubs, while parents receive support through income-generating activities, training and child-protection awareness.”

Karangwa explained that the organisation addresses factors that can contribute to child abandonment, including poverty, lack of knowledge and the absence of safe places where children can stay during the day while their parents seek livelihoods.

She noted a significant reduction in child abandonment in the area since the organisation began its work.

"From 2010 until today, we can say that this place was among the first ones with a high number of abandonments,” she noted. "Through collaboration with local authorities and communities, the centre now records zero child abandonment cases in the area.”

The centre currently supports 118 children, with beneficiaries changing as children complete the early childhood programme and transition to primary school.

Supporting adolescent mothers

Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda also supports adolescent mothers. The organisation initially worked with 150 adolescent mothers for about one and a half years before enrolling another group of 100, according to Karangwa.

The programme begins with mental health support before progressing to training, technical and vocational education and income-generating activities. Support can run for one to two years, with the aim of helping adolescent mothers build resilience and improve their livelihoods.

"For families benefiting from the centre, the support has provided both immediate assistance and an opportunity for parents to concentrate on earning a living,” she said.

Claudine Nyirahabimana, from Amahoro Cell in Kigarama Sector, said her two children, aged seven and five, have benefited from education, food and other essential support.

"They enrolled them when I had no support,” she said. "They’ve given them necessities and that gave me time to go look for money to provide for them while they are at home.”