Musanze registers fewer street children

MUSANZE -The number of street children living in Ruhengeri town has drastically reduced, following government’s rehabilitation efforts ,authorities in Muhoza sector, Musanze district have revealed. Speaking to The New Times, the Muhoza Sector Executive Secretary, Amiel Ndahiro, said the number of street children has fallen from 400 in 2008 to about 100. He disclosed as part of the solutions by local authorities , two associations were set up to rehabilitate the former street children, where they were given life skills to enable them engage in income generating activities such as tailoring and carpentry. The associations are Twunganirarne with over 80 members, and Giramahoro made up of 40 former commercial sex workers. At least 30 former street children have been taken back to school under an educational rehabilitation programme known as “Catch-up education”, while another significant number number was adopted under the Guardian Angel initiative. “We have also embarked, with some level of success on tackling polygamy within the society which was partly blamed for the increase in the number of street children,” Ndahiro said. Part of the rehabilitation project entails a Belgian Technical Cooperation-CTB support through vocational training expected to cost Rwf 32 million. Ndahiro said that there is need to set up a vocational training centre in the district to help accommodate youth who have failed to join public universities and others who are helpless. Ends