A three-year project supporting families of children with disabilities in Musanze, Rubavu and Gatsibo has highlighted the importance of keeping children within their families while addressing the financial, psychological and social pressures that can push households towards separation.
The project, known as Twubake Umuryango Twita ku Bana Bafite Ubumuga, supported 120 families caring for 121 children and young people between November 2023 and November 2026. Its achievements and challenges were discussed at a close-out conference held at Sainte Famille Hotel in Kigali on October 28, bringing together government representatives, project partners and researchers.
Funded by the European Union and led by Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda, in partnership with Ubumwe Community Centre (UCC) and Wikwiheba Mwana, the initiative focused on children with intellectual disabilities and rare or complex impairments who were living with their families but faced a high risk of separation.
Vidivi Immaculee Karangwa, Country Director of Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda, said the project was built around the belief that children should grow up in family settings rather than be separated from their relatives because of disability or poverty.
Vidivi Immaculee Karangwa, Country Director of Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda
“Having a child with a disability should not mean that the child has to leave the family. Families can care for their children when they receive the right support, and that is why we have to strengthen families and the communities around them,” Karangwa said.
She said the organisation’s wider work had also involved supporting the transition of children and adults from institutional care into community settings, including earlier efforts in Musanze and Gatsibo. In Musanze, community-based services have helped families access support while allowing caregivers time to work and attend to other responsibilities.
Karangwa said sustaining such progress requires more than temporary assistance. Families need continued access to services, financial and livelihood support, psychological care and community acceptance.
The project was implemented through a family-centred model in which each household was assessed before a support plan was developed according to its needs. Aline Kayiganwa, the project manager, said the approach was intended to avoid giving every family the same package, since the challenges facing children and caregivers differed.
“We first look at the situation of the child and the family, identify their needs and agree on a plan with them. The support is then organised around those needs and reviewed as the family’s situation changes,” Kayiganwa said.
The assistance included financial support, training in savings and income-generating activities, caregiver counselling and group therapy, peer-support groups, family mediation, referrals to health and rehabilitation services, assistive devices, and access to day-care and learning opportunities.
The project reached 48 families in Musanze, 48 in Rubavu and 24 in Gatsibo. Community volunteers, local leaders and Friends of the Family structures also helped identify families, make referrals and follow up on children’s welfare.
The final evaluation, presented by Professor Masengesho Kamuzinzi of the University of Rwanda’s College of Arts and Social Sciences, showed the depth of the challenges faced by participating households before receiving support.
It found that 99 per cent of the 120 families had no regular income to meet basic needs such as food, rent and medical care. Sixty-seven per cent struggled to obtain food, while 79 per cent of the children had interrupted or unmet health and rehabilitation needs. Only 17 per cent were attending school, early childhood education or a day-care setting.
The research also documented stigma and family tensions. Mothers were frequently blamed for giving birth to children with disabilities, while some fathers left households, leaving women to shoulder the responsibility of caring for the children and other family members.
Kamuzinzi said the study had reinforced the importance of family-based care, particularly for children whose needs are often overlooked because of the severity of their disabilities.
“I must confess that this study was a new learning. I understood once for all the relevance of the long-standing advocacy of keeping children in their families, however difficult this mission may be,” he said.
He added that vulnerable families could build more meaningful lives when professional support, family solidarity and government involvement were brought together.
The evaluation also found that direct financial assistance helped some of the most vulnerable households address immediate needs and become better able to participate in longer-term empowerment activities. A beneficiary group described the assistance as more than money, saying it was “a mark of recognition” that someone cared about them and their children despite the social exclusion they faced.
Justine Mukobwa, Executive Secretary of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), said government institutions and local authorities had an important role in ensuring that support for families continued beyond individual projects.
She said district-level support for parents’ groups had been expanded in the 2026/27 financial year, moving beyond the previous focus on cooperatives of persons with disabilities. The groups eligible for support are assessed according to their needs and the requirements set by districts.
Justine Mukobwa, Executive Secretary of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD)
“Disability is not a curse, and families should not be left to deal with these challenges on their own. Government institutions, districts and partners need to work together so that children and their families can access the services and support they require,” Mukobwa said.
She said NCPD works with partners through joint planning and monitoring, while district assessments help determine which groups qualify for available support.
The evaluation recommended stronger cooperation between government institutions, specialised centres and community structures to ensure that children continue receiving medical, educational and rehabilitation services. It also called for sustained investment in caregiver wellbeing, peer-support groups and local services.
Karangwa said the experience demonstrated that supporting a child with a disability also means supporting the entire household, and that family-based care requires long-term commitment from government, communities and development partners.
