KAYANZA, February 27th (ABP) – The provincial director of Family and Social Development (DPDFS) in Kayanza province (north), Mrs. Célénie Ndayisaba, is delighted with the progress made in removing children from the streets of the urban centre of Kayanza, thanks to the initiatives of those involved in children’s rights.
In view of the efforts being made to reverse the trend, she urged parents to prioritise family education rather than education on the streets, since it is family education that will enable their offspring to develop, she told ABP in an interview.
According to Ms Ndayisaba, Kayanza town centre had over 400 street children in the last two years. But she is pleased to say, the situation has changed for the better thanks to the initiatives and efforts of various players in the field of children’s rights.
She explains that, in collaboration with its partners, the provincial department responsible for family and social development in Kayanza began by identifying all the street children and their families of origin. It then organised weekly awareness-raising sessions for them on self-development and changing their mentality. As a result, she continued, those families were grouped together in 9 savings and loan associations, with a view to financial autonomy, while 92 children, including those at the Munzenze rehabilitation centre in Cankuzo province, returned to school.
She also said that 56 goats and 60 rabbits had been given to the families of children living on the streets.