An update report for The Radley Charitable Trust - June 2015
It is now three years since the Radley Charitable
Trust first began supporting our work in Rwanda.
We are extremely grateful for your significant
support towards vulnerable children and families
in Rwanda, and very much look forward to
continuing to work with you over the next three
years of the partnership.
This report details the significant progress made in Rwanda over the last six months, since our previous
update to you in December 2014.
During the last six months, progress in Rwanda has been significant. The remaining children and young adults in
the Noel de Nyundo Institution in Rubavu District, northern Rwanda have now left and the institution has been
closed for good. With 529 children and young adults resident when we began work there in 2012, Noel was the
country’s oldest and largest institution and its closure was extremely challenging. Children and young adults from
the institution have been placed in 24 districts across the whole country, according to their individual care plans.
Claudine Nyinawagaga, Hope and Homes for Children’s Country Director in
Rwanda (pictured here), grew up in Rubavu District. “I went to school with
children from the orphanage. Even though I was young I could see in their
eyes, in their behaviour, they were missing something important in their lives. I
know the profound damage that places like Noel de Nyundo does to children,
so it’s with great joy that we celebrate the last child leaving the orphanage.”
Noel Institution had a large number of young adults with disabilities resident and our team have worked with local
partners to develop an effective model of community based living to enable them to move into new homes. In a
similar way to our Small Family Homes in Central and Eastern Europe, community based living enables children
and young adults with disabilities who cannot live in a family or independently, to receive appropriate care. The
new homes are being supported by the Point Foundation (who were primary funders of the Noel Institution) and
the residents attend a local community centre for persons with disabilities. The successful demonstration of
community based living to enable the deinstitutionalisation of children with disabilities, and its acceptance by the
Rwandan Government, is a major breakthrough and a powerful witness to HHC's commitment that no child is left
behind when an institution is closed. Disability remains a challenging area of work in Rwanda with many
misunderstandings about it and a lack of support to children and families.
As well as work on the direct closure of institutions, we are scaling up our technical assistance and training to
support the Government to complete the closure of institutions across the country. In 2013 we trained the first
group of 28 Government employed social workers and psychologists who were recruited to work on child
protection reform. We have now begun training a second cohort of 21 professionals with support from UNICEF
who will play a key role in scaling up the reform. Pre-service training was completed in May and covered child
protection, case management, prevention and alternative care.
1 Over the next three years we will work on the closure of a further ten institutions by delivering both direct work
and technical assistance. Recent progress includes:
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The Home of Hope baby institution in the capital city of Kigali is now in the final stages of closure
We continue to progress with the closure of Gisimba Institution; in May we supported two young adults
to successfully start independent living
37 children have now been successfully moved from the Village de la Paix/Sinapisi Institution into
families. 37 children remain
Our team completed individual assessments of 95 children in two further institutions in the capital city of
Kigali (Cité de la Miséricorde Niboyi and Cité de la Miséricorde Gahanga)
Last year our Numb3rs appeal featured the story of Marie Claire (pictured overleaf) who was placed in the
Noel Institution when she was just a week old. She had been found cold and alone in a small village in
northern Rwanda, not far from the borders of Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Marie Claire, now aged ten, was recently placed in a loving foster family. He new foster parents Darius and
Olive are the proud parents of a three year-old son and are full-time carers for Olive’s 12 year-old sister.
Darius is a teacher at a local school, with Olive also working there as a secretary and book-keeper. Olive
was an orphan herself and had always been grateful for the
love and care given to her by her adoptive mother. She felt
it was only right that she too would one day foster or adopt
a child.
Marie Claire is pictured here with Olive. In the months since
she joined the family she has become significantly happier
and healthier. She calls Olive and Darius ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’,
is doing better at school and has made a lot of new friends.
She has joined a local church and loves to sing. She has
high hopes for the future.
“I’m so happy, I have a mum and dad to love me, I
thank God for such a wonderful family.”
Thank you to the Radley Charitable Trust
Your continued support over the next three years will help us to move children from ten institutions across the
country into safe and loving families. Children and families will receive tailored support to make this possible,
including the support of social workers and psychologists, material support where needed and help to build
secure and sustainable futures. Institutional care is extremely damaging for children, affecting their health,
development and wellbeing. By supporting children like Marie Claire to move into families you are helping to give
them a much brighter future.
Thank you so much for your significant and long term support
With very best wishes
Pascale Costello, 01722 792911, [email protected]
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