SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda hosted a Regional Child Reintegration Project kick-off workshop with representatives from Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania
From March 14 to 18, SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda hosted a Regional Child Reintegration Project kick-off workshop with participants from SOS Children’s Villages Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.

Since 2016, SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda is implementing the Childcare reform in Rwanda and strives for the eradication of root causes that feed street children phenomena. SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda signed an agreement with the former National Child Council (NCC), National Early Childhood Development Program now (NCDA) and National Rehabilitation Service (NRS).

Since 2016, SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda reintegrated 332 children and young people to their biological families or foster families and continued supporting them to access quality education, health services, adequate shelter and their families to become economically self-reliant.

Community-based rehabilitation and re-integration approach consisting of re-unifying children with identifiable families and conducting child-parents joint rehabilitation services psycho-social support and family conflict management support, and run income-generating activities to tackle their economic problems.

SOS Children’s Villages in Rwanda supports children and young people in the family-based community environment and is cared for by SOS professionals.
During the opening remarks of the regional reintegration workshop, the National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda Jean Bosco Kwizera stated that the workshop is aligned with SOS core vision where every child belongs to a loving family.

Jean Bosco said, “A child belongs to the family but during the reintegration process, a child’s participation and social-economic support need to be strengthened in order to fulfil the rights of children.”

The Director-General of the National Rehabilitation Service (NRS) in Rwanda, Fred Mufulukye, emphasized that transforming the lives of vulnerable children requires commitment which is driven by daily actions and interventions.

Mufulukye encouraged participants to establish innovative interventions with unreserved commitment to address the causes of streetism and dangers encountered by children in street situations.

“We need to work as a team to restore the hope of children who lost parental care because those children who are in the streets are the future of our country and future community as well,” Mufulukye added.

The Regional Programme Development Advisor - Alternative Care at SOS Children’s Villages International Ronald Ssentuuwa said: “There is need for training professional and para social workers in alternative care and case management. There is need for different categories of staff to be oriented on the tools used for reporting cases and reporting progress in line with professional care practices”.

The three years reintegration project (2021-2024) is targeting 500 reintegrated children who have been cared for by the four SOS Children’s Villages in the districts of Nyamagabe, Gicumbi, Kayonza and Gasabo including children from street situations.