Involvement in SACCA’s programme gives every child the opportunity to make something of his life. He is offered the basics of food, education and a roof over his head. He is also offered the chance to be a part of a loving community or family, he is given trust and compassion, elements that were certainly lacking in their lives on the street.
There are three SACCA residential centres in the eastern province of Kibungo. SACCA prides itself on its high staff to child ratio- each centre has a manager, assistant manager, at least one teacher, an anamateur (supervisor) and guard and is visited on an almost daily basis by one of our three social workers.
Each centre is has a unique personality but over the three the basic structure remains the same: the children work and study in return for their three daily meals. Each child, in addition, is expected to help keep the centre clean and tidy, as one would one’s home.
No child is made to do anything for which he does not feel ready. If a child does not wish to sleep at the centre but does wish to participate in the study for food programme, he is still accepted as part of the programme. SACCA appreciates that forcing children does not achieve the best results. If we truly wish to help Rwanda’s vulnerable children we must allow them to adapt at their own rate; too many of them have already been rejected by both their own families and by society to face further rejection from us.
SACCA’s education programme is at the core of our ethos. Many of our children came on to the street because they were prevented from studying for one reason or another at home, they and us appreciate the value of education and we do everything we can to ensure that every child receives an education suitable to his temperament and ability. Those who are not too old and who wish to study formally are sent to primary school. Those who are too old for primary school are enrolled in a vocational training course of their choice. At present we have boys learning mechanics, welding, hairdressing, t-shirt printing and soap production.
Offering these children an education is one way in which we hope to be able to give these children a chance in life. Through learning the children are not only given a chance to learn a skill, they are also taking a step to reintegration and reconciliation. By donning a uniform and running to school every morning with their peers our boys are able to see that they too can be a part of society and that they too can lean normal lives.
Nobody in Rwanda receives anything for free and SACCA boys are no exception. In order to eat the boys must work. Porridge is given in the morning in return for cleaning, lunch is earned by studying, and supper by work, either in the fields or at the centre. We do not wish to give the impression that our children receive more than any other Rwandan child- it is important for both the children and the communities that there is no build up of resentment toward those in the centre.
A typical day’s menu is: Breakfast: sorghum porridge. Lunch: Potatoes and or plantain bananas in a groundnut sauce. Supper: Maize bread in a bean sauce. The diet may not be particularly varied but it is nutritional and balanced. The children also supplement it with their own acquired fruits, maize and sweets. It costs around 200RWF (approximately 20p or 50cents) to feed a child every day.
Health care is an implicit part of the programme. The children with whom we work have suffered from a plethora of illnesses, both natural and inflicted (Mukunzi’s story) that prior to their involvement in SACCA were left to get far more serious than they ever need be. Even simple things like taking a child to the dentist to look at an inflamed tooth, or providing enough love to dress a wounded elbow make all the difference to the lives of our children.
Malaria is a serious problem in Rwanda and we do spend much of our time administering malarial drugs although since many of the children have been provided with nets and since all the children are off the streets, the number of malaria cases has drastically reduced and the recovery time has become much shorter.
The healthy and regular diet and the secure environment has meant that incidences of illness, infection and beatings are far lower.
As of the beginning of 2005, every SACCA child has been provided with a place to stay in one of the three centres. In Kayonza, for example, the children sleep four to a room and are free to do as they please with their own private space. Each child also has a personal locker in which they can keep the articles they do not wish to leave in their rooms. As do children everywhere, our boys have quickly made their rooms their own by sticking up pictures of favourite footballers, musicians and their own artwork, which greatly contributes to their feeling of security and stability.
