The Mukansanga family

Christine Mukansanga lives in Gikongoro, Rwanda. She is married and has five children. Her youngest son Claude is five years old and was identified as being vulnerable by District Leaders. At the end of 2008 a Hope and Homes for Children field worker visited the family to understand more about Claude’s situation. During the visit Christine explained that her family was very isolated from the community and both she and her husband need to work in order to support their family. This meant that with no one to turn to, Christine often had to leave Claude alone during the day which meant he frequently went all day without any food.

As a result Claude’s health had been badly affected and he had to spend two months in hospital as a result of malnutrition. His parents were both very concerned about Claude and how to deal with the difficult situation they were in. As a solution their field worker arranged for Claude to have a place at the Bwama Hub where his parents could drop him off in the morning and collect him after they finished work. This meant that Claude was in a safe, caring environment where he could receive a nutritious meal during the day whilst his parents were away.

When Claude started at the Hub he was still suffering from malnutrition and so he had very little energy and was quite withdrawn, finding it difficult to take part in activities. Gradually, with the help of the staff, who monitored his health closely and ensured he was receiving a nutritious meal, Claude began to gain weight and his strength and coordination improved dramatically which meant he could join in the activities with the other children.

Christine also attended training sessions at the Hub; she learnt about nutrition and how to prepare balanced meals. Additionally, she received lessons on cultivation and now grows vegetables on a plot near her home which she uses to ensure that her family are eating healthily. For Christine the most valuable training session she attended at the Hub was about Family Planning. Before she attended the session she had no idea how to prevent herself from falling pregnant. She feels that this information is extremely important as her and husband would have no way of supporting another child.

Christine says that the Hub is an extremely important part of the community. She believes that Claude would not be alive today if it had not been for the support of the Hub. Claude has now been attending the Hub for a year and Christine is so thankful that she now has a healthy and strong little boy.

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