Project Muraho - Rwanda

As Rwanda struggled to come to terms with the post-genocide period, the political, social and family structures that used to support the child no longer existed.  HIV/AIDS has spread rapidly throughout Rwanda in recent years, leaving even more children without parents. According the Rwandese government, there are 101,000 households headed by a child – 75% are headed by girls. These children have limited access to health care or education; are often exploited, not only by their own community but even by relatives, and have little in the way of basic household or agricultural necessities.

Project Muraho was a collaboration with a private Canadian grant making foundation, the Frangipani Foundation. ‘Muraho’ means ‘hello’ in the local language, Kinyarwanda.  During 2005, 7,200 Lifeline radios were distribution to child heads of households in Rwanda by CARE Rwanda. The radios helped to provide much needed access to information and education for an estimated 140,000 children and young adults as each radio is shared by an estimated 20 listeners.

The radios were distributed to villages and households in seven provinces by CARE International. MTN, the cellular phone provider, sponsored laminated instructional posters to accompany each Lifeline radio.

Press Clipping

The Times

      Gift that Rescues Children Forced to Become Adults, 12 December 2005

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