IN a bid to empower children from extremely poor families, Compassion International, a Christian NGO operating in Rwanda, provides free education, medical treatment and housing to 51,776

According to statistics from Compassion Rwanda, 553 parents and 44 of the children are on free Antiretroviral Treatment provided by several health centres that are funded by the organization.

Speaking at celebrations marking the African Child’s Day in Kigali yesterday, Samuel Rugambage, the Regional Director of Compassion International, called upon local leaders to motivate and sensitize the public on protection of children’s rights as well as empowering them to have a bright future.

"African Child’s Day is very significant to Rwanda, which is why the government puts much emphasis on children’s freedom and rights,” Rugambage said.

Compassion International’s main vision, Rugambage said, is to empower the most disadvantaged children in the community so that they can have the opportunity to improve their lives.

"This year, Compassion Rwanda has a budget of Rw6.5 billion from the international body that has its headquarters in Colorado Springs, the USA. However the budget expects to increase next year because we have developed future youth projects,” Rugambage explained.

Janvière Kamatenesi, 27, a Partnership Facilitator at Compassion Rwanda, benefited as a child from the organization’s funding. From the age of six, she was enrolled into a child development sponsorship program where her elementary and university education were paid for by the organization.

"After my education, Compassion Rwanda employed me to facilitate child projects in the country,” she said.

"Currently, we have 192 child projects in the country as well as numerous cottages where children are taken care of”.

Compassion International is one of the longest NGOs in Rwanda. It opened its Kigali branches in 1984.

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