HATW Christmas Appeal 2023

Thank you to all who donated to our Christmas Appeal 2023. Your support will help bring a much brighter future for extremely vulnerable street children in Bugarama, Rwanda.

Street children in Bugarama have little or no family support and have to fend for themselves to get enough food to survive, often through petty theft and smuggling across the Rwanda / DRC border. Their terrible situation results from family difficulties and deep poverty.

But Muko school in Bugarama has brought hope for future for hundreds of street children. With your support, HATW has been working with Muko to enable approximately 300 street children to attend lessons. HATW is supporting the provision of two meals a day for the children, along with educational materials, meaning the children can be in school and learning, towards attainment of qualifications that will enable access to further education and improved employment opportunities in the future.

From day one at the school, the street children have received continual support, encouragement and guidance from Counsellors and the Head Teacher. Through this they have started thinking about their future plans – aspirations which through their education at Muko are now within reach.

Muko school has also been offering the street children the opportunity to participate in ‘consoling family’ group sessions where they can relate their traumatic experiences and provide mutual support and encouragement amongst themselves. The school has reported how the children have gained hopes for the future from engagement in these groups.

One of the street children currently supported at Muko is Florence, who is 16. Following family difficulties, Florence was out of school and had suffered abuse. Muko School’s street children initiative has helped Florence emerge from her difficult past. Speaking of her experiences at Muko, Florence shares: “He [the Head Teacher] received me well and gave me a chance to narrate my life story. He listened to me carefully and cheered me up and wiped my tears. In the school I got good shelter, food and other support needed. As the days passed this helped me a lot to recover and forget some of the wounds of my past and dark experiences, and revived my hope for a bright future. Considering my experience, my wish or my dream is that my tomorrow might be where I will be at the position of helping others, to be able to give back to the community”.

You can keep up to date will all the latest developments from Muko School and all our projects by signing up to our newsletter here.

Thank you so much for your support.

Links:

• HATW Newsletter