The recently concluded elections for children representatives on different forums ranging from the cell to the national level, have been hailed as a success. The New Times’ Frank Kanyesigye interviewed Zaina Nyiramatama, the Executive Secretary of the National Children Council, who talked of the mandate of the forums and other programmes by the Council, including plans to close all orphanages. Below are the excerpts.The New Times (TNT): Why was the National Commission for Children established?Zaina Nyiramatama (ZN): It was established by the government as a body to champion children’s rights, and to help them explore the various opportunities they have to reach their full potential based on the provisions and principles of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.Part of our mandate is to act as watchdog on public authorities and parents to ensure that children’s rights are protected at all times. The institution also sensitizes children on how to report challenges they face in their daily lives and these are reported through their forums.It was established to ensure that all laws, policies are in line with the child perspective as enshrined in the Rwandan Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.TNT: It’s almost a year since your institution was set up, what have you achieved so far regarding the promotion of children’s rights?ZN: Basically we started in November last year, much as we are still a relatively young institution; our prime achievement has been to successfully establish these forums through which children’s concerns will be channeled. We have also organised national platforms where children actively engage in serious debate, not only amongst themselves, but also with policymakers. We have developed a roadmap of national children’s summit that happens annually and developed policies for taking orphans in foster families.The Council has also been drafting policies that support the promotion of children’s rights in our society and the process is progressing smoothly. We also received an outstanding budget support from the government to facilitate us in implementing our work.TNT: What is the mandate of NCC?ZN: As I told you earlier, our main role is to promote and protect children’s rights as provided for by the United Nations Convention on Children’s Rights and Rwanda’s government. Basically that is our main mandate.The commission aims at advocating for children rights and protecting them against any form of violence. NCC will enable leaders, parents and the community, among other things, to listen to children’s voices through a quarterly newsletter dedicated to child issues. It will also promote the protection of children with disabilities.TNT: How have you helped children to participate fully in solving their problems?ZN: The children forums work hand in hand with the Ministry of Gender and Family promotion, so through these forums children are in position to raise their concerns; the primary step, therefore, was to create the platform, which we have since done. We have sensitised children and parents on how those forums will be operating, we have also earmarked over Rwf125 million for the whole process and we have dispatched money to the districts to help in executing the policies and programmes. TNT: Don’t you think sitting on these forums may constitute a burden to these young people?ZN: No this is the best channel to model them into responsible future leaders. There is no any activity beyond their understanding that will be handled by the committees. They will be sensitised on how to advocate for their rights and how to raise their concerns. We are there as parents and leaders to support them.TNT: How far have you gone with the campaign to close orphanages?ZN: Since the Cabinet decision in March this year calling for the closure of the orphanages, we embarked on a mass sensitisation drive towards removing children from orphanages. We established that most children actually have their families despite living in orphanages, their parents just dump them anywhere so that people can pick them and take care of them.For the last couple of months, few children were able to leave orphanages and taken to foster families. Before these children are taken to families, we first inspect the aspiring foster families to really be sure that they can take care of the children.So far, 800 children have left orphanages and placed under the foster families and we do not stop at inspecting the homes before giving them the children. We do constant follow up to ensure the children are well taken care of.I want to take this opportunity to call upon able parents to adopt children. Every person who wants to adopt a child should first fully understand how to handle these kids so that they don’t go back to streets. We want to have closed all orphanages by 2014.These days the good thing is that local leaders have a clear picture of not to rush taking the children to orphanages before even conducting a background check on the children. Irresponsible parents should be brought to book to minimize the habit of dumping children on the street because you know they will be taken to orphanages.If a district does not have an orphanage, it means no child will be taken there; we even have established that in some cases, parents actually disguise themselves as the ‘Good Samaritan’ who have picked the children.Orphanages lead to an increase of street children. If people don’t have where to dump children, then they will take care of them. Orphanages attract needy children. Districts with orphanages are the ones with many needy children.TNT: How many orphanages do we have in the country?ZN: We have 32, but two in Kicukiro and Gatsibo districts have already closed their doors. However, some have remained with as few as 10 children, but an orphanage like Nyundo in Rubavu has children close to 500. We have put in place mechanisms to remove these children from this orphanage.Most children in this orphanage are grown ups, we agreed with SOS to take care of some of the kids because at least with SOS children are raised as if they are in normal family set ups.Others will be taken care ofby Malayika Umurinzi (Guardian Angels), a community mobilization campaign initiated by the First Lady Jeannette Kagame, to encourage adoption and protection of vulnerable children.Now we are remaining with over 2,000 children in orphanages. Children adoption now is handled at the sector level unlike previously when it used to be done through the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion.We are currently registering parents who want to adopt kids then after they will be sensitised on how to take care of them after investigating if the family is in position to give the necessary care needed for these children.TNT: What about getting children off the streets, how are you handling this? ZN: Yeah it’s all the same; we don’t want to see children on the streets just like the way we don’t want them in orphanages. Children are not supposed to be on streets and orphanages; they are supposed to be in families.We are speeding up the campaign to put children in foster families. The village leader (s)should be in position to know why a child in their area is loitering on the streets during school time for example.TNT: Any other comment you would wish to make?ZN: I would like to call upon all Rwandans to play a role, depending on their ability, to ensure that no child is on streets and orphanages; they should take care of these children like their own. Children are supposed to be in families not in isolation. Parents and teachers should be at the forefront of fighting against child abuse and neglect, encouraging them to break the silence on everything to do with violence. Thank you.