Teaching and protecting refugee children in Rwanda
Currently Rwanda hosts some 90,000 refugees, most of whom have fled armed conflicts over the past two decades in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Today, there are over 17,000 refugee children enrolled in primary school in Rwanda. The Government of Rwanda has generously allowed 40% of refugee students to be integrated into local schools, while the remaining children attend schools within the refugee camps. Thanks to EAC and UNHCR, Rwanda has been able to enrol an additional 6,236 out of school children in primary school since 2012.
One effective intervention to promote access and retention of refugee children in primary school in Rwanda has been through teacher training. Teachers remain a cornerstone to learning and the protection of children, and this becomes even more critical when supporting children who have been affected by conflict and displacement. These trainings, which have reached a total of 205 teachers and 27 National Education Officers, focus not only on providing teachers with the necessary tools to improve teaching and learning, but also on providing them with the awareness and skills to ensure a safe learning environment for children.
“These children have survived war. I am teaching traumatised children who have seen their parents being killed in front of them with machetes,”
says teacher Ruhorinbere Ntagomwa. “When the teachers try to talk about history and our past in Congo, some children break down. It is our duty to counsel these children and reassure them that they are safe in Rwanda. We are teachers and protectors.”
Ruhorinbere, like the children he teaches, is a refugee from the DRC. Today he lives in the Nyabiheke refugee camp in Rwanda’s Gatsibo district. The incredible beauty of the camp belies the experiences of the more than 14,000 Congolese refugees who have found safety and security here.
While the trauma of fleeing is now behind them, the long-term impact of displacement presents ongoing challenges, particularly for the children and young people living in the camp. For Ruhorinbere, education is crucial to overcome the horrors his students have experienced, and he loves his job as a teacher.
“I believe it was my calling in life. I can’t see myself doing anything else. It is the most fulfilling job one can do – teaching the next generation and giving them a future.”
Over the past three years, with the support of the EAC Programme, UNHCR has implemented a series of teacher-training workshops in Rwanda that have given Ruhorinbere and his colleagues better techniques for teaching and protecting children.
For example, recent training explored simple techniques for supporting and encouraging children with disabilities, and the results have been astounding.
“I have been teaching for 12 years and never thought that there could be such simple solutions to helping children [with disabilities]”, Ruhorinbere says. “Before I thought it required special, expensive materials to help these children – something I wouldn’t be able to provide. But I’ve learnt simple techniques of how to counsel and encourage them and it really helps. Having special needs doesn’t mean your life has to come to a stop. It’s just a bump.”
“Even the other children have changed their views. Now the kids are more sensitive to those with special needs and treat them better. Before these children were isolated and made fun of. Now the other students are actually helping out their classmates. This has also improved everyone’s school marks.”
In addition to teacher training, UNHCR has expanded access to education through supporting the construction of new classrooms and bathroom facilities at schools.
As many families struggle with the costs of living, UNHCR has also helped to provide new students with school kits containing uniforms and shoes, books, pens, and pencils – all of the essentials required for attending school in Rwanda. Such assistance is critical in ensuring that children enrol and stay in school.
For 12-year-old Solange, the school kit has allowed her to return to school and focus on building a future away from bullets and war. She is thriving with the support and is top of her class. “I fled with my mum, my dad, and siblings to escape the sound of bullets,” she says. “There is peace here, not like in Congo, where we were always afraid. Here I can sleep without dreaming of bullets. I like the prospects of the future [school] brings me. It’s important for refugees to be in school. One day I want to help other refugees. My family received help when we arrived. The children were given books and uniforms and were enrolled in school. I want to give books and uniforms to other refugee children and see them smile!”
In Rwanda and the 11 other countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East where the partnership is implemented, UNHCR and EAC are helping refugee children to thrive through education. With more displaced people in the world today than any time since the Second World War, access to quality education is essential for the future development of these children and their communities. Qatar Airways is honoured to partner with Educate A Child to bring access to education to out of school children.
The Nyabiheke refugee camp in Rwanda’s Gatsibo district.
