A cloudy afternoon, on December 23, at the Autisme Rwanda campus in Gisozi, Kigali, children of all ages are running around, singing and dancing, just as a proper Christmas celebration should. At the event given to them by Kigali’s Rotary Club Mont Jali, different kids take turns presenting different performances in front of their supportive parents and guests, after which they get to enjoy sweet soft drinks and cake. One of them takes the microphone to welcome the guests and say a prayer. The 6-year-old speaks loudly and confidently, and everyone applauds him before he runs to his father. Now, when Johan Claude talks about his son, it's difficult to imagine the very vibrant and adorable 6-year-old as the isolated and quiet child he describes him as, before enrolling at Autisme Rwanda. 'Gege,' as his father calls him, can count, speak Kinyarwanda, English, and French fluently, participate in a variety of activities with his peers, and exhibit quite unique qualities such as being very protective and caring for his younger brother. His father, however, asserts that this hasn't always been the case. Gege, like many other children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, was diagnosed as a child with the disorder characterized by impairments in social cognition as well as restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. A typical sensitivity to sensory aspects of one's environment usually accompany this diagnosis. It's at Autisme Rwanda that he is provided with special autism education, together with other young people in the specialist school, aged from four to 15. Home to 36 children, the center was established in 2012. Autisme Rwanda provides year-round special educational services to children and adolescents, with a focus on communication, social, behavioral, vocational, and academic skills development. Children with this condition often struggle to fit in with other children, and educating them necessitates extra care and resources. “However, with adequate support, they can make a successful transition into adulthood with the confidence and skills to live as independently as possible and participate in other activities beneficial to them and the community, said Rosine Kamagaju, Managing Director at Autisme Rwanda. Dr Jean Baptiste, president of Rotary Club Mont Jali, agreed and added, Parents are happiest when their children are happy. And, regardless of their circumstances, all of our children deserve our unconditional love and support. Mont Jali Rotary Club intends to further provide support to the school by covering some of the tuition and future expansion.
