WESTERN PROVINCE

RUBAVU — Point d’Ecoute, a charity organisation working in Rubavu district has committed itself to resettling all street children living in Gisenyi town.

Emanuel Harerimana, an official in charge of the children’s welfare in the organisation revealed this recently while visiting various families where over 30 former street children have been resettled.

"Last year we collected children on streets and took them to their respective homes from where they are monitored by the organization to know their living conditions. Most of these kids were on street because they came from very poor families which couldn’t provide essential needs such as daily food," he said.

He added, "We advised their mothers to join associations and later gave them loans to start small scale businesses which have greatly improved their lives."

Hererimana explained that with Frw30,000 given to each family, most parents had started small businesses such as selling foodstuffs in Nyakabungo market in Gisenyi; which has made the families able to provide for their household thus making their former street children stable in homes.

He said that the same was extended to orphaned street children through their guardians who joined Tabarabana Association. These orphans are periodically supervised and advised on proper use of loans.

Hererimana said that the organisation’s officials were currently inspecting these aided families in all sectors of the district to evaluate the steps taken in stemming poverty.

We are very much impressed, although there are a small number of parents who misused the given loans. Most of them have used it to improve their living standards through an association called Tabarabana.

According to Claris Mukaminega, one of the beneficiaries, the funds have helped them provide for their children. "My child was on street due to conditions we lived in. We were very poor to the point of failing to have some daily meals. Although I hated seeing my child as a beggar on street, I did nothing to stop him because I knew he was looking for survival."

Mukaminega who set up a small charcoal busyness in Nyakabungo, the second biggest market in Gisenyi said she started the business with the capital Frw30,000 got from Point d’Ecoute.

"I have since then managed to buy daily food for my household and to save Frw25,000 per month as profit. My child is settled at home and I’m planning to send him to school though he says he is too old for lower classes," she said.

She explained that the generated profits have helped her pay back the loan easily.

Gisenyi is said to be one of the towns in Rwanda with the biggest number of beggars and street children who include: orphans and children from very poor families. The high number of street children has previously been blamed on poverty.

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