Country Care Profile: Rwanda
01 Mar 2015
Rwanda
This country page features an interactive, icon-based data dashboard providing a national-level overview of the status of children’s care and care reform efforts (a “Country Care Snapshot”), along with a list of resources and organizations in the country.
demographic_data
12.63 million
Total Population
World Bank, 2019
5.68 million
People
Total Population Under 18
Estimate
45%
Population Under 18
UNICEF
4.3
People
Mean Household Size
DHS, 2015
37.6%
Prevalence of Female-Headed Households
2017 MIS
Low-Income Country
World Bank GNI Status
World Bank, 2019
38.2%
Living Below Poverty Line
World Bank, 2016
43.7
GINI Coefficient
World Bank, 2016
0.536
Human Development Index
UNDP
childrens_living_arrangement
%
Country
NO SOURCE GIVEN
63.2%
Living with Both Parents
DHS 2014-2015
24.1%
Living with One Parent
DHS 2014-2015
12%
Living with Neither Parent
DHS 2014-2015
%
Effective
NO SOURCE GIVEN
children_living_without_bio
72%
Both Parents Alive
DHS 2014-2015
20%
One Parent Dead
DHS 2014-2015
8%
Both Parents Dead
DHS 2014-2015
0 Families/Parents
0 Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
0 Families/Parents
0 Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Total Family-Based Alternative Care
- - Families/Parents
19 Children
Country Care Profile: Rwanda (Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2015)
Foster Care
- - Foster Families/Foster Parents
19 Children
Country Care Profile: Rwanda (Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2015)
Formal Kinship Care
- - Families/Parents
- - Children
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Total Residential Care
- - Settings
6,529 Children
Country Care Profile: Rwanda (Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2015)
Registered residential child-care facilities
- - Settings
2,504 Children
i
A 2012 national assessment on registered residential care facilities for children found that 3,323 children and young adults resided in 33 such facilities, 11 per cent of whom were children under three years of age and 37 per cent aged 0–3 at the time of placement. Statistics provided by a key informant in March 2014 showed that the original number of children in care had been reduced from 3,323 (in 2012) to 1,457 in March 2014.
Country Care Profile: Rwanda (Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2015)
Residential care facilities for persons with disabilities
42 Settings
2,712 Children
i
As reported in the Rwanda Country Care Profile, in 2013 some children with disabilities resided within residential care facilities targeted for closure, but it appeared the vast majority of these children resided in other facilities specifically for persons (of all ages) with mental and physical disabilities. Therefore, such children did not fall under the current deinstitutionalization process. Data provided by the NCC indicated that 2,712 children with disabilities resided in 42 residential care facilities for disabled persons (children and adults).
Country Care Profile: Rwanda (Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2015)
Centres for street children
25 Settings
1,196 Children
Country Care Profile: Rwanda (Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2015)
Adult detention centres
- - Settings
117 Children
i
117 children in adult detention centres (children living with their mothers in detention).
Country Care Profile: Rwanda (Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2015)
Lancet Global Study Estimate of Children Living in Institutional Care
17,933 Children
Desmond, et al, 2020
adoption
NO DATA AVAIABLE
Country
NO SOURCE GIVEN
302
children
Inter-country Adoption
Country Care Profile: Rwanda (Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2015)
i
Date range: 2003-2011. Inter-country adoption is no longer practiced in Rwanda as there has been a moratorium in place since 2010. Key informants noted that formal domestic adoption is growing.
NO DATA AVAIABLE
Effective
NO SOURCE GIVEN
90%
Children with Both Parents Alive
DHS 2014-2015
8.3%
Children with One Parent Alive
DHS 2014-2015
1%
Children with Both Parents Dead
DHS 2014-2015
Country
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Effective
NO SOURCE GIVEN
NO DATA AVAILABLE
Social Welfare Spending
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Alternative Care Policy in Line with the 2009 Guidelines
Yes
Law 54/2011 on the Rights and Protection of the Child and the Integrated Child Rights Policy and Strategic Plan (2011).
i
Rwanda has a strong, child rights-based legal and policy framework that has been strengthened and enhanced since 2010 to include a focus on the primary role of the family and family strengthening, family-based alternative care and poverty reduction. This includes the passage of two laws, the Child Rights and Protection Policy, and three national strategies encompassing child-care reform, family promotion and poverty reduction. Together these form a holistic, family-centred framework that includes preventive and response components in support of the care-reform effort. There is also strong support for social protection and early childhood development – this will further reinforce the care-reform effort by supporting the prevention of separation, and helping build the resilience and competencies of Rwandan families. Law 54/2011 on the Rights and Protection of the Child includes specific articles relating to prevention of separation, family support, alternative care and the social integration of children, many recognizing the specific rights of children in care.
Commitment to Deinstitutionalistion
Yes
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
Child-care reform has been prioritized by the highest level of government (i.e. by the President and Prime Minister), beginning with a National Children’s Forum where the issue of residential care was prioritized by children (BCN, 2015). The most recent child-care reform process was initiated in 2010. This phase was prompted by several key developments between 2010 and 2012. These included: the strengthening of a strong child rights-based legal and policy framework through the passage of the landmark Law 54/2011 on the Rights and Protection of the Child; accession to the 1993 Hague Convention for the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption (HCIA); a successful pilot deinstitutionalization effort and a National Study on Residential Care; the establishment of the National Commission for Children (NCC) through the passage of Law 22/2011; and children’s voices advocating for family-based care for children at the 2011 National Children’s Summit.
Comprehensive Child Protection Law
Yes
Law 54/2011 on the Rights and Protection of the Child and the Integrated Child Rights Policy and Strategic Plan (2011).
i
Rwanda has a strong, child rights-based legal and policy framework that has been strengthened and enhanced since 2010 to include a focus on the primary role of the family and family strengthening, family-based alternative care and poverty reduction. This includes the passage of two laws, the Child Rights and Protection Policy, and three national strategies encompassing child-care reform, family promotion and poverty reduction. Together these form a holistic, family-centred framework that includes preventive and response components in support of the care-reform effort. There is also strong support for social protection and early childhood development – this will further reinforce the care-reform effort by supporting the prevention of separation, and helping build the resilience and competencies of Rwandan families.
Continuum of Alternative Care Services Available
Partly
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
Rwanda has a range of formal alternative care options for children including foster care, guardianship and residential care (including temporary shelter for street children). the ICRP in Article 2.6.1 recognizes and prioritizes the following alternative care options: a: Kinship care (children without parents placed in the care of extended family); b: Formal adoption within community/country; c: Placement in foster care within their communities; d: Inter-country adoption in accordance with international and national guidelines; and e: Institutional care as a last resort, with continuous effort placed on finding a different option. Because the foster-care guidelines have yet to be finalized, this care option appears to be at a relatively nascent stage and would benefit from more attention and thought around the different models of foster-care placements (e.g., emergency, short-term and long-term) and how those care options will be developed, provided and managed. Formal care is still primarily residential care, but this is changing as government encourages other forms of care and some local governments and/or residential care facilities are refusing new entrants.
Data System
Limited
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
To date, several different mechanisms have been used to collect information related to child protection and care, but these have yet to be collated into one central database. The NCC has a mandate to collect data related to children’s rights and protection. The NCC is also responsible for overseeing the child-rights data gathering and management, together with MIGEPROF and the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda. The NCC is mandated to develop, in partnershipwith the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, a data management system for regular status reports on children and their rights. In 2014, the NCC collected data on Most Vulnerable Children. That data will be entered into the MVC database, will be analysed and will help to generate useful information that will be used by partners/Government to address the needs of the vulnerable children
Existence of a Regulatory Body and Regulatory System
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Gatekeeping Mechanism/Policy
Mostly
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
Gatekeeping mechanisms have been developed and piloted in several districts and sectors across the country. The pilot deinstitutionalization project of HHC established child-care networks to function as gatekeeping mechanisms, and this model is being replicated – although it is likely to be named differently and address not just care issues but also child protection concerns. Beginning in 2014, the government has launched community based child protection structures (Inshuti Z’Umuryango (IZ)) that include para social work volunteers with the responsibility of safeguarding the rights of all children at village, cell and sector levels and paying particular attention to those at risk of separation and children whom have been reintegrated. Although volunteer in nature the IZ are linked with the formal sector
Means of Tracking Progress with Reforms
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Moratorium on Admission into Institutions for Children Under 3
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Moratorium on New Institutions
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
National Action Plan to Guide Reforms
Yes
Strategy for Child Care Reform (2012); Tubarerere Mu Muryangyo (TMM) Let’s Raise Children in Families!
i
Led by the government, with active support from UNICEF, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs), the TMM is the guiding framework for the reform process.
National Standards of Care
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Prevention of Separation Services Available
Yes
NO SOURCE GIVEN
i
Family strengthening services in Rwanda include: social protection and cash transfer programs, education enrolment, the Genocide Survivors Support and Assistance Fund (FARG), Positive deviance hearth groups (a community-based approach to address malnutrition in children under 5); Farmer field schools (FFS): FFS is a proven strategy for increasing household food production; Internal savings and lending groups (ISLGs), The DCOF-funded Ishema Mu Muryango (Pride for the Family) reintegration and family strengthening program, Hope and Homes for Children's Community Hub model, and more.
Support for Careleavers (in Legislation and in Practice)
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
social_work_force
Workers
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Country
Social Work Degree Programmes
Yes
Source: Country Care Profile: Rwanda (Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2015)
i
As of the writing on the Country Care Profile, there were three universities that offer social work training, the National University of Rwanda, the Catholic University of Rwanda and Byumba Polytechnic University, which offer bachelor-level programmes. According to information provided by the Rwanda Association of Social Work, approximately 1,000 social workers, from the National University of Rwanda and Byumba Polytechnic University, completed a university degree in social work between 2003 ad 2013. The Catholic University was due to graduate its first class in 2014.
Social Service Workforce Training
Yes
Source: Country Care Profile: Rwanda (Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2015)
i
At the time of the writing of the Country Care Profile, efforts were primarily focused on preparing a cadre of 68 social workers and psychologists to work at the district level. The social workers and psychologists were to be trained and placed in a phased approach, prioritizing districts where residential care facilities are being or will soon be closed. Their primary mandate was to oversee care-reform efforts in that district including deinstitutionalization, prevention of separation and alternative care for the first three years. UNICEF, the NCC, Tulane University and HHC had jointly developed the training curriculum.
Workers
NO SOURCE GIVEN
Effective
A national workforce assessment and analysis carried out within the past four years
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
A system of licensing/registration of social service professionals
No Data
NO SOURCE GIVEN
key_stakeholders
Key Stakeholders
Add New DataCountry
Government
i
The NCDA (formerly the NCC) is a mandated government body responsible for overseeing the care-reform process including deinstitutionalization, expansion of alternative care and strengthening of the child protection system. The NCC has overall responsibility for childcare reform, and for the implementation of the TMM. NCC also has responsibility for facilitating the implementation of the family law and relevant ministerial orders governing adoption and foster care. In this regard, NCC coordinated the implementation of the first Integrated Child Rights Strategic Plan (2011-2016).
i
MIGEPROF houses the NCC and is involved in, and supportive of, activities led by NCC. The governing body of the NCC comprises a Board of Commissioners, an Executive Secretariat and an Advisory Council.
Program Coordination Team (PCT): NCC, UNICEF, HHC and Cooperative Housing Foundation ([CHF], now Global Communities)
i
The PCT’s main objective is to promote cohesion and coordination in the child-care reform effort. It is chaired by the NCC and co-chaired by UNICEF.
Other line ministries or government entities
i
National Police, Rwanda Defence Force, Rwanda correctional facilities, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Local Government Authorities, Imbuto Foundation, National Institute for Statistics.
The Child Rights Observatory Office
i
The Child Rights Observatory Office was also established within the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) and is responsible for child-rights advocacy. The Child Rights Observatory supports the NCHR to receive and handle cases of child rights violations.
Civil Society Organisations
i
UN and NGOs provide technical assistance in system strengthening, child-care reform, deinstitutionalization, prevention, household economic strengthening and other service provision in support of family strengthening, alternative care and deinstitutionalization.
i
UN and NGOs provide technical assistance in system strengthening, child-care reform, deinstitutionalization, prevention, household economic strengthening and other service provision in support of family strengthening, alternative care and deinstitutionalization.
i
A network of Christian faith-based organizations working to encourage and advocate for the active engagement of faith-based communities and actors in advocating for family-based care in support of the larger reform effort.
Children’s Forums
i
Formal structures at the cell, sector, district and national levels where children are able to share their concerns, opinions and suggestions on issues that directly affect their lives.
Child protection committees
i
Community-based groups involved to different degrees in the identification of vulnerable children and families, service provision, gatekeeping and monitoring. Also Malaika Mulenzi (Guardian Angels, i.e. foster parents) and Inshuti Z’umuryango (Friends of a Family); these are community based para social work volunteers that form part of a new government initiative to identify, prevent and respond to child protection concerns within the community. They also have the responsibility of following up cases of reintegration.
i
UN and NGOs provide technical assistance in system strengthening, child-care reform, deinstitutionalization, prevention, household economic strengthening and other service provision in support of family strengthening, alternative care and deinstitutionalization.
i
UN and NGOs provide technical assistance in system strengthening, child-care reform, deinstitutionalization, prevention, household economic strengthening and other service provision in support of family strengthening, alternative care and deinstitutionalization.
i
UN and NGOs provide technical assistance in system strengthening, child-care reform, deinstitutionalization, prevention, household economic strengthening and other service provision in support of family strengthening, alternative care and deinstitutionalization.
USAID, Displaced Children and Orphans Fund (DCOF)
i
Donors support care reform, early childhood education, prevention and economic strengthening, social protection.
Global Fund
i
Donors support care reform, early childhood education, prevention and economic strengthening, social protection.
UK DFID
i
Donors support care reform, early childhood education, prevention and economic strengthening, social protection.
IKEA Foundation
i
Donors support care reform, early childhood education, prevention and economic strengthening, social protection.
Effective
Other Relevant Reforms
Add New DataEffective
NO SOURCE GIVEN
drivers_of_institutionalisation
Drivers of Institutionaliziation
Add New DataCountry
Push Factors
Death of both parents
i
These reasons for placement in residential care were provided by directors of the facilities surveyed in a 2012 Hope and Homes for Children study.
Death of mother
i
These reasons for placement in residential care were provided by directors of the facilities surveyed in a 2012 Hope and Homes for Children study.
Abandonment
i
These reasons for placement in residential care were provided by directors of the facilities surveyed in a 2012 Hope and Homes for Children study.
Poverty
i
These reasons for placement in residential care were provided by directors of the facilities surveyed in a 2012 Hope and Homes for Children study.
Unwanted pregnancies
i
Source: Rwanda Country Care Profile (BCN and UNICEF, 2015)
Circumstances of female domestic workers
i
Source: Rwanda Country Care Profile (BCN and UNICEF, 2015)
Lack of knowledge concerning the damaging effects of institutionalization
i
Source: Rwanda Country Care Profile (BCN and UNICEF, 2015)
Family conflicts or marriage breakdown
i
Source: Rwanda Country Care Profile (BCN and UNICEF, 2015)
Lack of family cohesion
i
Source: Rwanda Country Care Profile (BCN and UNICEF, 2015)
Pull Factors
Perceived attractiveness of services offered by institutions
i
The 2012 Hope and Homes for Children study noted, “the very existence of an institution increased the likelihood of a child from that neighbourhood to be placed in an institution.”
Proximity of facilities
i
Anecdotal evidence provided by various stakeholders also noted that in the limited number of locations without residential child-care facilities, very few, if any, children from there were placed in facilities in other locations. Thus when there are no residential care facilities nearby, it seems that families find other care options such as kinship or informal foster care. Source: Rwanda Country Care Profile (BCN and UNICEF, 2015)
Effective
key_research_and_information
Key Data Sources
Add New DataCountry
Report on National Assessment of Centres caring for Children with Disabilities in Rwanda
01 May 2016
National Integrated Child Rights Policy
01 Aug 2011
Country Care Review: Rwanda
10 Feb 2020
Prevalence and number of children living in institutional care: global, regional, and country estimates
06 Mar 2020
The Way Forward Project Report
01 Nov 2011
Community-Based Child Protection Mechanisms in Refugee Camps in Rwanda: An Ethnographic Study
01 Dec 2013
Effective
Displaying 1 - 10 of 162
This is the beginning of three virtual presentations on country examples of family reintegration, starting with Rwanda and Cambodia as part of the Task Force on Family Reunification and Reintegration on the Transforming Children's Care Global Collaborative Platform.
Why is it so important to consider mental health and emotional well-being in child care and child protection? How can we address mental health needs in a non-clinical environment?
The objective of this webinar was to present the CPSS approach, and reflect on how this approach, and especially the seven intermediate outcomes of CPSS are relevant to the care reform agenda.
In 2021, UNICEF launched its latest approach to Child Protection Systems Strengthening (CPSS), together with benchmarks for measuring the CPSS work, and high impact CPSS interventions. The objective of this webinar is to present this CPSS approach, and reflect on how this approach, and especially the seven intermediate outcomes of CPSS are relevant to the care reform agenda. Colleagues from Rwanda will share how care reform has been used as a strategic entry point to strengthen national Child Protection Systems and help explore how strengthening Child Protection Systems helps accelerate work on care reform.
This is one of the resolutions adopted under the Kigali Declaration on Child Care and Protection Reform adopted on June 25, at the closure of the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
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The UK Home Office has been accused of attempting to deport unaccompanied 16-year-olds to Rwanda in the first wave of asylum seekers to be sent to east Africa later this month. Charities have identified what they describe as a “worrying pattern” of children being classed as adults by Home Office age assessments, raising fears they could be among those deported 4,500 miles to Rwanda.
The Task Force on Foster Care of the Transforming Children's Care Global Collaborative Platform held the second spotlight webinar series on identifying foster carers on 5 May 2022.
The UNICEF-Changing the Way We Care Regional Learning Platform for Eastern and Southern Africa held its first webinar of the year on Child Protection System Strengthening and Care Reform.
This webinar will provide an overview of child protection system strengthening and the linkages between this approach and care reform. It will outline the ten components of a system strengthening approach to care reform and provide three examples of putting these components into practice. The examples will be presented by UNICEF country office staff, government agencies and their partners. They will focus on the development of the national care form strategy in Kenya, workforce strengthening for care reform in Rwanda, and care system assessment in Uganda.
This paper examines the nature and benefits of foster care and identifies some of the key challenges associated with this form of care in Eastern and Southern Africa. It outlines the elements of an enabling environment needed for successful large-scale foster care programmes, including legislation, guidance, changes to social norms, coordination mechanisms, and a strong social service workforce. The paper also provides lessons learnt from the region on how to support each stage of the foster care process.
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