Reuniting families in Rwanda – Henri’s story

11 October 11

In January this year we began a groundbreaking project to close the first orphanage in Rwanda, the Mpore PEFA institution in Kigali. This is the first step in a project supported by the government to revolutionise their childcare system, closing all of the country’s orphanages ,and return the children to their families or to family based alternatives.

Here we meet Henri, one of the children who have so far been reunited with their parents or extended families.

Henri’s Story

Henri is six years old and was placed in the Mpore PEFA institution in Kigali in early 2010. Due to his physical and mental disabilities, he struggles with simple everyday activities such as sitting and walking.

When Henri’s parents parted in 2010 due to family conflict, he separated from his mother as well as his siblings. It was arranged that he would remain with his father while his siblings would live with his mother.

In the following weeks, the situation went from bad to worse. His father found it increasingly difficult to look after him, largely because of his long working hours and his difficult personal circumstances. He felt that the best solution was to contact the local authorities for support. They advised him to place Henri at the Mpore PEFA Institution where he genuinely believed Henri would be better cared for and receive better medical attention.

Soon after we started working at Mpore PEFA this year, our team met Henri and undertook a full evaluation of his situation. The institution had no wheelchairs, suitable beds or trained staff to help Henri. He had difficulties expressing himself and so staff began to neglect him. Two weeks after entering the institution, Henri suffered from anemia and malnutrition and was hospitalised for two weeks.

When our team managed to trace Henri’s father, the love and affection he felt for his son was very evident. After counselling and psychological support, the pair were finally reunited. Henri now lives with his father and is cared for by a support worker in the day while his father goes to work. Henri now has a wheelchair and access to specialised healthcare. More importantly, he is enjoying the love and warmth of his family.

Our work to close the Mpore PEFA institution attracted the attention of The Spectator magazine recently and Deputy Editor Mary Wakefield paid a visit to our projects in Rwanda. Read Mary’s article, view a film about her visit and donate to support the project.