Women's economic empowerment
Children's health and well-being
After the genocide in 1994, Rwanda had the highest proportion of orphans and vulnerable children in the world. They had no option but to live on their own, with no adult support.
CARE responded by setting up the Nkundabana project, under which children chose adults they trust to serve as their Nkundabana or volunteer mentor. These mentors received training from CARE and looked after several children, acting as teacher, counsellor, protector and friend.
The project was unique in its focus on children's emotional and psychological well-being – but we realised we needed to address their health needs too, particularly for the younger children. This led to the creation of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme in 2007 which aims to provide a better start in life for children up to the age of six.
As of 2014, we had set up 358 early childhood development centres, and helped over 4,000 children attending the centres, each of whom receives a daily cup of nutritious porridge, and benefits from being able to play and learn in a safe environment.
To all the CARE supporters who have made this possible, the children would like to say 'thank you'...
You can directly support poor entrepreneurs in Rwanda
Our Lendwithcare programme works with local microfinance institution partners to offer loans to people in poor communities who are starting or building up a small business. Find out more about Lendwithcare and how you can make a small loan directly to an entrepreneur in Rwanda.
