CWS "Giving Hope" for AIDS orphans in Rwanda and Kenya
The new tailoring graduates from the CWS Giving Hope program in Gitarama, Rwanda--wearing clothes they made themselves.
Photo: Ann Walle/CWS
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by Ann Walle
More than 17,500 HIV/AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children in Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya are participating in an innovative program that addresses their rights and needs and empowers them with agricultural, vocational, and life-skills training. In November 2006, CWS marketing and communications director Ann Walle visited some of the program sites in Rwanda and Kenya. In Rwanda, the program is entering its fourth year; in Kenya, the program is new this year.
In partnership with the YWCA in Rwanda, Church World Service has initiated projects supporting child-headed households to enable the children to work together to support and sustain themselves. This may mean pooling small sums to rent a plot of land and then farming it together; or building one another's homes; or allowing for a member's smaller siblings' school supplies and uniform.
Whatever the resulting activity, the groups show over and over again that these children learning empowerment are stronger together than they could ever be alone in small family groups. After a parent's death the children most likely drop out of school, leaving them skill-less, and soon they are starving. Begging for food or work can result in the families being splintered, and the younger children even more vulnerable as the oldest siblings travel to the border of Tanzania to work for food.
The children -- some of whom lost parents in the 1994 genocide -- are learning more than income-generating skills; they are learning to speak their truth. One nkundabana ("I love children" in kinyarwanda) or caregiver-- usually an older woman -- observes that it has been a good day; none of the children has cried in telling their stories. She can see they are getting stronger, gathering strength as members of the group.
One of the groups, the Nyarugari group in Kibongo, is beginning to absorb other orphans, younger orphans, and to teach them simple skills that they do together in activity sections after school. Kagasa, a rural working group outside of Kigali, is growing tomatoes, a joint project through which the children are learning to create a business and use the income to run a household -- which includes paying for school uniforms and materials, healthcare, and the like. A group fund is opened, and group leaders -- including a chairperson, vice chair, secretary, and treasurer -- lead the children in deciding who among them needs what. Before the group establishes its account, it must present a business plan.
Each district has a pair of social workers employed by the Giving Hope program who lead the children in their training and business plan, and serve as advisors and parent figures. Giving Hope works in tandem with the local government, which informs the program's social workers of children in need. The Giving Hope program provides a small sum to seed the groups' projects, and the children must contribute themselves.
 Mediatrice Photo: Ann Walle
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A special graduation
The head of all the Giving Hope orphan groups in Gitarama, Rwanda, is 19-year-old Mediatrice. As an opening to the graduation ceremony for a group of 20 young new tailors, she tells the assembly that "Our goals as members of Giving Hope are to meet our own needs and to help each other. In brief, before Giving Hope, we didn't know each other. Some of us were street children, some were child laborers who worked for food. We were isolated, sad, broken-hearted, physically and sexually abused."
"Now" -- she emphasizes the word -- "we have organized into groups so we relate like new families. We help each family to have a dream and be integrated into the community, because they can contribute. We are teaching our neighbors to accept child rights, to prevent HIV, and to build relationships in the community."
The working group that Mediatrice oversees has 448 households with 1,952 children. They meet every week to evaluate themselves, share experiences, and to account to the YWCA.
"We have challenges," she says. "We have small children who have lost both parents. In some households all the kids go to boarding school, and when they come back they can't get food. If they have land, we cultivate it together. Sometimes the small ones are sick and need to go to hospital. Sometimes we don't have enough even to share. But," she concludes with a firm nod, "things are better than before."
She tells the story of her own household, which includes her four siblings and two orphans they took in. She shares something "so good": Of the three siblings who had left school in order to find food or work, two have returned and the third chose vocational training. "It shows that Giving Hope has worked."
The graduation is celebrated with dancing and poetry reading. "The rights of children are needed," the singers chant. "Pay attention! Let's fight against HIV." The tailor training took six months, and the 19 girl graduates and one boy wore dresses or a shirt of their own making, "showing we are professionals."
Says Maria, an nkundabana (caregiver) with one of the groups, "I love the children and they love me. We are all the same. I visit them, they visit me. I play the role of the parent to these children. I am happy and proud that they selected me. We are happy when we are together."
"Because you have been good parents," Elodie says, "we promise that we will help you to help our children who are coming behind us." They thank their teacher, who, along with the general secretary of the YWCA, passes out the certificates.
 Children of the Nyarugari -- "Let's improve together" -- Giving Hope group (outside Kibungo) with one of the mats they've made. Photo: Ann Walle
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Nyarugari -- "Let's improve together."
In a room provided by the local authorities outside Kibungo, a group of three children -- heads of their households -- works on creating cards designed with banana leaves, while a group of younger orphans talks and weave crafts in a brightly lit back room. They look up as visitors enter and sing a song of welcome. Some are weaving banana leaves into carrying bags; some are embroidering; the littlest are braiding twine to make cord to hold animals.
The group's name Nyarugari means "Let's improve together." The children are pleased when a visitor tells them that he uses their cards to send all his notes.
Group member Nyakarime says, "We understand that all support for our program comes from Church World Service. Thanks to CWS that's why we can do what you see. We are happy to hear you like our projects, and we thank God for your visit. And we pray that God will protect you. You may look older than us but you are young in your mind."
Says John, the coordinator of the civil community, "We appreciate the Giving Hope program because it prevents the children from being street children or vagabonds. It helps them to lead their own lives. Our commitment is that we bring our contribution as we can" by giving the space.
As in other Giving Hope gathering, before learning about each other, we pray.
The group began on February 12, 2006. "We are 28 children who are orphans. Some live with caregivers, some live alone. The older Giving Hope group taught us these crafts, after classes or during weekends and vacations."
"Who has already benefited from the program?" asks program director Epiphanie. The answers reveal that they have already learned many lessons from their Giving Hope elders: the importance of schooling, hygiene, and sharing whatever you have. Seven stand to tell of their successes.
"I have made four cords, I sold them, and I could buy a pen and soap."
"I have made five cords, and bought these clothes, 12 notebooks, and two pens."
"I have made a bag. I got seven notebooks, two pens, and soap."
"I made two bags. I bought these shoes."
"I made this crocheted square. I bought these clothes and plates and spoons."
"I embroidered a big tablecloth. I got these shoes for school and 14 notebooks, two plastic plates, and two spoons."
 The nkundabana of Kibungodiv Photo: Ann Walle
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"I was a street child. Nkundabana brought me to school. I got soap, clean clothes and the barber shop, clothes, and shoes."
All of the children have shoes on; shoes are required for school.
"Thanks to the nkundabana we can be transformed from a street child to a very good kid!"
"The important thing about this group is that before we were hopeless children. Now we are people who are happy and courageous!
"Doing this, even those living with caregivers, we are no longer a burden because we contribute our own part."
One girl tells of being visited by the nkundabana when she worked by herself on her small farm plot. The group's president came and encouraged the girl to join the group. "Now I can make the bags -- I have soap, salt, and I buy food. On top of that, I returned to school and I am in the fifth grade. That's what I appreciate from this group."
Twelve-year-old Francine is so shy and soft-spoken. It takes much bravery to stand in front of her group and some strangers to tell her story:
"I experienced a very hard life in my household. I don't know how old I was when I was brought to an orphanage. I lived there with other children and had food. One day a woman came to adopt me. When I went with her she made me a house helper and mistreated me. I was beaten when I tried to go to school.
"I told a girl from town, and this girl talked to the nkundabana. She helped me to get a school uniform, and brought me to this group. The good thing the group has done for me is get me back in school, and I can make baskets."
The nkundabana, also named Francine, spoke: "Before I was selected, I didn't like children. But when the children selected me, I was ashamed to say no. In the meetings, I grew to love and admire them. It made me open my eyes to see other children who were in need.
"I could see, when I visited, that they had problems. That broke my heart. I went together with another child to bring them to the group. I planned a party to attract others. Since then we started to gather together.
"But it is hard; they are children with problems. They are not sure we will respect them. This is why we started these activities -- learning together, talking, this has results."
Giving Hope in Kenya
In Machakos, in Kenya's Central Province, the country's first children are benefiting from the CWS Giving Hope program. In the program, orphan heads of household join together with siblings in groups advised by an adult advisor and a sort of grandmother, who leads them in learning loving care and self-care.
In Rwanda, the program is entering its fourth year. Here in Kenya, the Giving Hope program is new, and kitchen gardens are the first fruits.
Outside of George's home, a good-sized kitchen garden looks to be thriving in its second planting. George says he dreams of seeing his village upgraded to a better standard, with water and electricity. He hopes to follow his education to go to university to be an engineer who will bring electricity to the village. Francesca, another member, dreams of having a fishpond.
In this group of orphans, the youngest is seven; the oldest is 18. They know of five other orphans who have not yet joined their group.
Francis leads a household of three brothers and is vice-chairman of the group. He explains that each child has problems and that they support each other as best they can. For example, he had no house. He explained his problem, and within a few weeks the group had together built him a home, though he still hopes for doors and windows. The group has goats and small gardens, which grow tomatoes.
Another Giving Hope group of 30 child-headed households has pooled their savings to start small-scale businesses. Each household contributes 50 Kenyan shillings (about 70 cents). The group shares its frustrations and happiness "in a journey to success," as their leader, Stella, puts it. Their activities include a savings club, making bricks, and visiting one another or households not yet in their groups.
The group meets on Saturdays to visit one another and to make needed repairs to homes or gardens. They have been trained in small-scale business and now raise vegetables to improve both their nutritional standards and their household income.
They hope to pay one another's school fees, eventually even at the polytechnic, where students learn cabinet-making, welding, and carpentry.
The Church World Service staffer in charge of the Kenya program is known to the children as "Mary Obiero Giving Hope." She smiles broadly when they all chime in with her name. One of the community volunteer "grandmothers," Rosa Duka, explains, "We started without knowing what would happen. When [Kenyan Giving Hope supporter] Rev. Simwa came and explained it, we found we had already begun without realizing it. We will pray so much for you, asking God to give you strength." Said another counselor, "We will do our work and we know that you will do yours."
Read more in these "Giving Hope" Vignettes.