Dire poverty forces many children to leave their families and stay on the street. Ange Sibo Uwizirerera discovered this sad reality when she took it upon herself to interact with street children. The dejected situation of these children had caught her attention during the time she was pursuing studies at the University of Rwanda (Huye campus) in 2013. Most of these children would surround the campus’ gate in hopes of getting some money or food for survival. And though they would at times get it, Uwizirerera couldn’t help but think of how life was for them and what their future would be like, especially if they remained on streets. She then decided to approach them; they would share tea and snacks and she would at times give them money for their other needs. Slowly by slowly they started opening up to her, she says, revealing that when they interacted, she came to realise how unhappy their lives were. “They had no one to care for them, they barely had what to eat nor did they have shelter. They also weren’t attending school and these are just some of the challenges that these children face,” she says. The children also shared with her that the biggest issues that pushed them to streets were family conflicts and poverty. She vowed to do all she could to see that these children’s lives changed for the better. “These were good kids and they also wished for a good future, the least I could do was provide it for them. I immediately started thinking of how I could help them because they had promised me that if they had someone who would take them off the streets they would leave. I spoke with the district’s officials and informed them of this issue and they immediately agreed to work with me and offered me immediate support,” she says. Transformation Her partnership with the district didn’t take long to yield results, for most kids who agreed to leave the streets were immediately taken to transit centres where they would receive care, and were also helped to be integrated back into society and into their families. This started in 2015. She would visit them often at the centres, spend time together and share with them fun moments, especially during the festive season. “I would also provide them with school and hygiene materials. During those visits, I would go with my friends who would also help me find gifts to give to these children. Some of these friends decided to work with me, that’s how we started an NGO—Street Kids Caring Organisation (SCO),” she narrates. The NGO’s mission is to continue helping vulnerable children, especially those who are formerly street kids, to build their future and to improve welfare as well as help them access education. Her inspiration When Ange Sibo Uwizirerera was 13-years-old, she discovered that she was an adopted child and that, her parents were not her birth parents—they had adopted her after the murder of her real parents during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. This, she says, was at first bad news to her, a reality she struggled to accept. But it later gave her purpose and courage to reach out and offer help to others just like she was helped. “I was surprised by the fact that someone can choose to take on the responsibility of a new-born, raise them with love and protect them from anything that would make them suspect that they were orphans. I grew up thinking that my foster parents were my real parents, and the children I grew up with were my real siblings,” the 26-year-old narrates. Her parents’ unwavering love gave her inspiration to reach out to others who could be in need of help just like she was, she says. That’s why, out of respect, love and admiration of her foster parents’ actions, she established Street kids Caring Foundation, a non-government organisation that aims at helping street children find a better life. “This is appreciation for my parents to show them that I am following in their footsteps in helping those who are in need and also, to support my country Rwanda.” Giving back Helping these children and seeing their lives transform is her pride and that of the foundation. “It makes us happy to see that there is a role we are playing in the development of our country through helping children who are vulnerable,” she says. Uwizirerera believes that their efforts as an NGO have also done a lot in helping many believe that the issue of street kids in the country can finally be eliminated if people stand and fight together. “There are people that SCO has helped to believe that street kids, as a societal problem, can be finally be solved. Among those are the ones who joined the cause of this organisation. This will help others who share this belief to do what they can such that this problem is finally eliminated,” she shares. She urges families to play their role in curbing this challenge, noting that parents should give birth to those they are able to take care of and also, to properly raise and follow up on their children. “The second thing is, institutions that are responsible for this should partner with each other as they usually do and put more effort in addressing this problem, and they should not do it as a job but do it with love for these children and the country.”
