SOS pledges to help integrate children in foster families

SOS Children’s Villages will strive to ensure all children in the country are integrated in family set up, the international director for the Eastern and Southern Africa Region of the NGO has said. Dereje Wordofa said on Sunday during the silver jubilee celebrations for the SOS Children’s Village in Nyamagabe District in Southern Province. “You might have heard that SOS is stopping to manage SOS Schools and health facilities but this does not mean stopping investment in education and healthcare. We will continue to invest more in early childhood education and health in the country,” said Wordofa. He added that since the Government introduced a policy to integrate all children into families, the organisation will facilitate its implementation. “The Government should ensure that children and (foster) families are prepared to take up such a programme. We will partner with all stakeholders to make sure that children get loving families and good education because they’ll be productive in the future,” he said. Wordofa said the family is at the forefront of their work and they have aligned this to their 15-year plan and also in line with Sustainable Development Goals. “We continue to come up with innovative ways to look after children. We work closely with communities to care for children especially with young people to be productive in society,” he added. In 2012, the government launched Tubarerere mu Muryango (TMM) campaign to fast-track implementation of the strategy for National Child Care Reform. The campaign focuses on phasing out orphanages by putting the orphans in normal family setting or foster homes. It also focuses on transforming Rwanda’s current child care and protection system into a family-based care system. SOS maintains four orphanages; Nyamagabe, Kayonza, Kacyiru and Gicumbi. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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SOS pledges to help integrate children in foster families