Children and Family Breakdown - The Tearfund International ...
Children and Family Breakdown - The Tearfund International ...
Children and Family Breakdown - The Tearfund International ...
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BY PETE ANDREWS,<br />
ELIJA KANAMUGIRE<br />
<strong>Children</strong> will<br />
have a better<br />
sense of<br />
identity living<br />
with surviving<br />
members of<br />
their own family<br />
rather than in<br />
an orphanage.<br />
CHILDREN AT RISK GUIDELINES<br />
Orphans Programme:<br />
Inkuru Nziza Church<br />
Kigali, Rw<strong>and</strong>a<br />
ORGANISATION<br />
<strong>The</strong> Inkuru Nziza (Good News) Church has been established in Rw<strong>and</strong>a since 1960. Its<br />
administrative centre is situated in the middle of Kigali. <strong>The</strong> church has continued to<br />
grow, with a number of churches both in Kigali <strong>and</strong> also out in the rural areas.<br />
CONTEXT<br />
<strong>The</strong> HIV virus has dealt a severe blow to many families in Rw<strong>and</strong>a, with up to 25 per<br />
cent of the adults in Kigali HIV-positive. This has led to a large number of orphans. <strong>The</strong><br />
war of the past few years <strong>and</strong> especially the genocide in 1994 has only added to the<br />
problem.<br />
<strong>The</strong> aim of the project is to preserve the family unit. <strong>The</strong> philosophy is that children will<br />
have a better sense of identity living with surviving members of their own family rather<br />
than in an orphanage. <strong>The</strong>refore the project seeks to support the family in supplying<br />
some of its basic needs. <strong>The</strong> family usually has one person who is classed as the carer,<br />
who could be a surviving parent, gr<strong>and</strong>parent, aunt, uncle, older sibling or foster parent.<br />
DEMONSTRATING GOOD PRACTICE<br />
An important aspect of the project is a small privately-run sponsorship scheme whereby one<br />
or more of the children are supported by a regular amount of money. As our project started<br />
as a result of the AIDS epidemic, we were keen to support the health of the families,<br />
especially any who were HIV-positive. It was felt that the education of the orphans was<br />
paramount as the majority of them would continue to live in town <strong>and</strong> so would need to<br />
be educated appropriately. Most of the families would be expected to continue to live<br />
wherever they were when welcomed into the project. <strong>The</strong> project staff include social<br />
workers who are all carers within the project, being either widows or foster parents.<br />
Sheltered communities<br />
Over the past few years a system of sheltered communities has been developed in which the<br />
more vulnerable families can live together in close proximity. Two plots within the<br />
residential areas of Kigali were purchased <strong>and</strong> these have been developed. <strong>The</strong> first plot<br />
now houses, for example, HIV-positive parents, widows from the genocide, child-headed<br />
households, gr<strong>and</strong>mothers <strong>and</strong> one complete family with husb<strong>and</strong>, wife <strong>and</strong> children<br />
VOLUME 1: CHILDREN AND FAMILY BREAKDOWN<br />
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