PRESIDENT Paul Kagame yesterday said foster families play a leading role in transforming orphaned and vulnerable children into self-sufficient citizens.

Addressing members of Hope and Homes for Children at Prime Holdings, Kagame urged families to extend a hand of compassion and comfort to disadvantaged members of society.

"The most important thing we need to do now is to confront the root cause of problems facing our children so that they live a decent life,” Kagame said.

"We appreciate the Hope and Homes for Children’s noble cause of integrating children into our families from orphaned centres and streets.”

Hope and Homes for Children is a registered charity organisation operating in 12 countries in Central, Eastern Europe and Africa.

Its major mission is to give hope to the poorest children in the world especially those who are orphaned, abandoned or vulnerable by enabling them to grow up within the love of a family and the security of a home.

Kagame said the government is highly committed to support all programmes aimed at changing a culture of dependency and expectation.

"We believe that when children are looked after by foster families, it is far better than keeping them into established institutions where they tend to become dependant for the rest of their lives,” the president said. 

Hope and Homes for Children was set up in 1994 by UN Commander, Colonel Mark Cook to provide families and homes for children who are orphaned by war, HIV/Aids, accidents and other disasters.

In its first ten years, it has provided families and support for over 10,000 children in fourteen countries. In Rwanda, HHC had four projects catering for about 843 children in Kimironko in Gasabo and Nyamata-Bugesera.

 "Home is love and all children need it,” Cook said, stressing that children need help since they are tomorrow’s new leaders.

Valerie Nyirahabineza, Minister in charge of Gender and Family Promotion said Rwanda according to 2002 government statistics, has about one million orphans to HIV/Aids, Genocide and other related calamities.

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