FRANK KAGABO explores how orphans have been able to cope with assistance from a European Union supported NGO in musanze district

Despite tragic situations, people will always find ways of overcoming problems and move on to build their lives.
I meet Gelda Mujanaama, 43, a married mother of six. But over her six kids, she has thirteen more kids she looks after.

The thirteen kids are from four families and all have one thing in common. She explains that they are orphans who have either lost one or both their parents.

She is referred to as Nkudabana. This is a terminology used to describe people who have taken on the role of being some kind of "foster” parents to child headed homes. Nkundabana literally means "I love children.”

The Nkundabana model is run under Community Support and Mentoring for Orphans and other Vulnerable Children/Youth (COSMO) project under CARE international and is supported by the European Union Commission.

According to Celestine Karabayinga the mayor of Musanze district where COSMOS is championing the program, Nkundabana aims at "social protection, counselling people with post traumatic stress disorder and people infected and affected by HIV/Aid.”

He says that they are also involved in this program as a means of "helping the youths especially those with specific problems like orphans, the sick, and those who are not able to look after themselves”. He lauds the work of COSMO in looking after and finding shelter for child headed homes.

Says Karabayinga, "This is part of the assistance we get from COSMO, and I will request them to continue assisting us in this way”.

COSMO has bee working in the districts of Muhanga, Ruhango and Kamonyi. The coordinator of program say that initially their program was intended for 20,000 people but they ended up with 25,000 people instead.

The need for fostering is one of the effects of the Genocide and civil war. Karabayinga says that "COSMOS has helped to bring back order to children by among others doing advocacy on their behalf”.

Oddette Mukandayisenga, 14, is one such child whose life has witnessed a turn around courtesy of the Nkudabana program.
She says that she is the first born in a family of three.

She adds that their mother is sick and unable to provide for the family; neither can she be able to be of any help to them in their daily cores.

Mukandayisenga says that they never had a house to call home. At the same time, they have received assistance in the  form of scholastic materials.

But all that was made history thanks to COSMOS. She however hastens to add that most times, they lack food to eat at home.

Leonard Ndabateze, 42, also works as Nkundabana. He says that it is the kids who with the help of local leaders choose who works as their Nkundabana. He says that he enjoys taking this kind of responsibility adding that it is done on a voluntary basis.

However, this otherwise positive intervention is not without challenges. Ndabateza says that some times they get into trouble with members of the children’s extended families.

"They think we are interfering with family issues like in cases where they are being dispossessed of their land.”

Apparently some relatives tend to take advantage of the orphan status of some children to take over their inheritance which is land in most cases.

Apart from the Nkundabana program, COSOMOS helps young people especially teenagers to gain vocational skills. These include motor mechanics, carpentry and sewing. Along these, comes the challenge of finding a good market for what they produce like in the case of carpentry.

Even for those that take to motor mechanics, getting employment after the training does not come easily. Francois Ndaysaba, 20, has been learning mechanics for four months. Previously, he used to sell groundnuts in order to earn a living.

He says that he is worried if he will get a good job after learning his trade. But all that aside, he says learning mechanics has been rewarding.

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