Activists advocating for children’s rights have called for special support for vulnerable families that are set to integrate children with disabilities.

The call is made following the government’s decision to also re-integrate children with disabilities into families after phasing out orphanages.

Innocent Habimfura, the Country Director of Hope and Homes for Children-Rwanda, told The New Times that they are backing the initiative to reintegrate children with disabilities into families explaining that it takes at least three months for children with disabilities to adapt once reintegrated into families.

"Within three months of living together with members of a family, life starts to improve for disabled children as they adapt. The status of physically impaired children, mentally impaired children, those with speech impairment among other categories improve thanks to family-based care according to our study,” he said.

He explained that when children are raised in centres, they grow up as orphans and vulnerable, adding that they have no identity or sense of belonging while at the centres.

However, the activist said that for families, especially vulnerable ones, to receive and integrate such children, it requires education, economic empowerment as well as strengthening the fight against stigma.

"We supported over 900 families with 3,000 children with disabilities to be financially capable and afford basic needs for such children.

"If there is ample financial support, there will no longer be cases of those who beg on streets or who lock them in their houses. Campaigns should be intensified to fight stigma against children once reintegrated into families,” he said.

‘Transform centres into day cares’

Habimfura said that once children with disabilities are reintegrated into families, the centres that were catering for them should continue supporting them daily as ‘day care centres’.

"Children can be taken to these centres during the day to be looked after, or to get any help such as education and health services, but go back to their families at the end of the day.

"It means that these centres should contribute to families’ efforts to raise these children instead of keeping and confining them in one centre day and night,” he made a case.

He also said that specialists should be deployed to these centres to provide special needs services, and occupational therapy (health care that helps people of all ages who have physical, sensory, or cognitive problems).

3,000 children with disabilities need reintegration

According to The National Council of People with Disabilities (NCPD), over 3,000 children with disabilities currently under the care of different children centres, need to be reintegrated into families.

There are many centres across the country in which some of these children live full time, while others spend a portion of their time at the centres.

The need for reintegration is being guided by the survey, which found up to 73 per cent of these children have both families.

Eight per cent have at least one parent, implying that at least 81 per cent of these children have parents in general, according to NCPD.

The government in partnership with stakeholders is already running a pilot project in two centres with children with disabilities in Gatsibo district and Gahanga sector in Kicukiro district to reintegrate disabled children into families.

"After reintegrating children into families, these centres became day centres. They have now got specialists- in charge of special needs services, occupational therapy-who receive and treat the children but the children go back home,” Habimfura said.

He noted that thanks to the model, more children with disabilities have joined the centres to access such education and health services.

"Gahanga centre used to support 40 children and the number has increased to 79. The centre in Gatsibo has also doubled the number and it is supporting and training 150 children from families and communities who go back home at the end of the day,” he said.

Joseph Munyandamutsa, the founder of CECHE, a local non-government organisation that supports parents and their children living with disabilities, told The New Times that reintegrating children with disabilities should be fast-tracked.

"The reintegration has been delayed. Once reintegrated into the community, the child can join a nearby centre to get any service but without living there. Being confined in such a centre doesn’t help them to grow mentally and feel capable,” he said.

He also underscored the need for financially empowering families with children with disabilities.

"Financial constraints are a big gap in these families. The other gap is stigma. Social protection programmes should have a particular focus and special package for these families,” he said.

Espérance Uwicyeza, the head of Child Development and Protection at the National Child Development Agency (NCD), said that in general, 91 per cent of children that used to live in orphanages have been reintegrated into families adding that there is a need to shift focus on centres accommodating children with disabilities.

In 2012, there were 3,323 children in 33 orphanages. And by 2021, only 447 children were remaining in four orphanages.

Thanks to the success, she said, a delegation from Kenya recently came to Rwanda to learn how to implement their new strategy to phase out orphanages.

The Kenyan government, in June 2022, revealed a 10-year plan to remove orphaned and vulnerable children from children’s homes and orphanages, and transition them to family and community-based care.