For many, the idea of child adoption is a far-fetched gamble.

But circumstances often times define human decisions. Thus, in Rwanda, it’s child adoption had to come of age as those with big hearts opened up to taking in some orphans.

Eugene Twagiramungu adopted twins Kevin Dusabe and Kevine Dushime in 2012 from Rubengera orphanage in Karongi District.

A resident of Gikondo, a Kigali suburb, Twagiramungu is a single parent who lost his wife in 2002. But this did not stop him from adopting a child.

Twagiramungu told The New Times that the government’s programme of taking children from orphanages to foster homes is a good idea because the child enjoys their rights of staying in a family like other children.

For families like Twagiramungu’s, the results are visible. Ever since the twins joined the family, it has been a great change in the ways they live.

Dusabe is now in Primary Six at Kinunga Primary School.

The 13-year-old said their lives changed as soon as they left the orphanage.

"Our father, [Twagiramungu] told us that we were taken to the orphanage in December 2002, while we were only three months old. We were raised there until 2012 when he’s kindness directed him to come and take us away from there,” said Dusabe.

With a smile, he describes how their lives changed.

"We are free and happy, we have all the basic needs, we enjoy all the rights any child in a family. Life has really changed. In the orphanage, we were too congested, we could at times hardly sleep,” he said.

"We lacked balanced diet because we only ate food for survival. Putting on nice clothes was unheard of. We appreciate this family for accepting to be our parents.”

The National Commission for Children (NCC) announced plans to phase out orphanages and putting all children in foster families three years ago.

This came after realising that children raised in orphanages miss parental care, which greatly affects them.

So far, more than 1,861 children have been adopted. The number of orphanages has gone down from 34 numbers to 27.

Beginning of the campaign

According to Francois Bisengimana, the executive director of NCC, the programme started after an assessment carried out by the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, together with Home and Hope for Children, an NGO, in 2012 to analyse the life of the children who were in orphanages as well as the impacts of the institution on the orphans.

"The assessment showed that apart from negative impacts on growth of the child, there is also a psycho-social impact of these institutions on the children,” Bisengimana said.

Initially, the government had given itself a deadline of 2014 to phase out orphanages by getting willing families to adopt the children.

But this deadline was not met and the government continues to call on Rwandans to get more involved in the issue.

Speaking to The New Times, Florence Uwayisaba, the vice-mayor for social affairs in Kicukiro District, said since the programme was launched, they have never registered cases of mistreated children.

"We did it carefully whereby each foster family was given Rwf260,000 to start a small income generating project for sustenance. In addition, we collaborated with 12 psychologists who help in following up with the children,” she said.

"We have managed to work with three child care homes, namely, Mpore Pefa, Sinapisi and Mise in the district. The homes had 106 children, all of who have since been placed in foster families.”

In March, NCC released another report indicating that almost a half of the initial number had been placed into families

Addressing challenges

Bisengimana said mechanisms are in place to ensure that the children do not fall in the wrong hands.

"The placement is done in a careful way, we first ensure that the family intending to adopt a child understands the rights of children and whether there would be a great interaction with other members of the family,” he said.

There is then a monthly visit to check on the child.

Community-based monitors, locally called ‘Inshuti Z’umuryango’, were introduced to evaluate how the children are treated in their new families, according to Bisengimana.

In addition, families are given other form of social welfare support, especially the poor; including food, education and medical insurance, among others.

However, there are voices calling for policy review.

For instance, Nicolette Nsabimana, the coordinator and co-founder of Centre Marembo, a transit centre in Ndera Sector, Gasabo District, believes the adoption campaign should be revised to cater for different child categories.

The children at this centre are in three categories. Some were removed off the streets, some had been abandoned, while others are genuine orphans.

The centre has more than 50 girls.

The founder describes it as transformational facility where children spend a lot of time learning vocational skills like handcrafts, tailoring and other skills that would help them in the future.

"The most cases I handled when I started taking on these orphans were the ones that were dumped by their mothers. I personally took the decision never to return them back to homes,” she said.

"We are all parents but the way we react to situations are different and we have different thoughts, don’t expect a parent who dumped her baby to be convinced and take her back. Why wouldn’t she first take that initiative instead of being told how to raise her own baby?”

She said the process can continue diliggently through taking care in selecting foster parents who will be nurturing and treating each child as their own. 

"Visitors to our homes frequently cannot distinguish the orphaned children from the others, and we find great joy in this. But the introduction of transit centres are needed to ensure that the transformation is successful,” Nsabimana said.

Jeannette Irakoze, a 14-year-old living at this centre with her baby, has a heartrending story. She came to Kigali from Rukumberi, Kibungo, for survival after being thrown out of her mother’s home by a step-father.

But Kigali was no haven as a rape ordeal at the age of 12 nearly destroyed her life.

Fortunately for Irakoze, she met Nsabimana and took her to Marembo.

When the campaign started, she was returned home but within three days, she had fled again, this time after her step-mother married her off to a 54-old-man.