Kenyan government learns from Rwanda on how to raise children in the families

By Elias HAKIZIMANA.

Under the support of Hope and Homes for Children, the Kenyan government has payed a visit in Rwanda to learn about best practices in integrating children into the families from orphanages.

Their visit comes the second after the other held in 2018, where they had an opportunity to be exposed to different services and initiatives that Rwanda has established around childcare reform.

According to Innocent Habimfura, Hope and Homes for Children’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, the visit of Kenyan government to the government of Rwanda will build a strong will and committed to establish their own strategy for childcare reform once they return to their motherland.

“Many governments may have beautiful policies, strategies and laws but, nothing in terms of implementation. Kenyans preferred to visit Rwanda as a country that has successfully implemented their loan strategy for childcare reform, that is a very important step and it is why Hope and Homes for Children in its mission to be a catalyst for elimination of institutions, committed to support this event by exposing these people to nit only officials here to share experience, but also to visit families and try to understand what it means to raise a child into a family,” Habimfura said.

The Kenyan delegates also visited an institution which shifted from being an orphanage to become a community daycare center for children with disabilities in Rwanda.

These delegates will manage to develop their own own strategy for childcare reform as they return to Kenya.

He said that Hope and Homes for Children will continue to support this kind of learning life changing to support each other.

The recently signed ‘Kigali Declaration for Childcare reform’ in June, 2022 gives mandate to Rwanda to continue pushing for other countries to advance.

Abdinoor Shiek Mohemed who is in Charge of Child Social Protection from the Republic of Kenya, has been leading the Kenyan delegation in this session called ‘RWANDA_KENYA LEARNING EXCHANGE’. He said that they have gained much knowledge regarding reforms and the way they care for their children.

“We learnt a lot, like transitions to families and community care for children.We have been having some impactful discussions and family visits, thanks to Hope and Homes for Children who has partnered with us and the Government of Rwanda. In Kenya, for the last decades, we have been trying if these changes could have taken place, and all these things are in the interests of our children,” Abdinoor said.

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