ADEPE has built a second nursery that will welcome 150 children on the border with the DRC
Rubavu: UNICEF has allocated 78 million Rwf to the NGO ADEPE (Association for the Development of the People) which has built a second crèche to accommodate this month of June 150 children from 3 to 6 years of the 1st and 2nd categories of the ‘Ubudehe, according to the program officer of ADEPE, Eugene Rwandarwejo.
in charge of the programs of ADEPE, Eugène Rwandarwejo.
“Thanks to the creation of the 1st crèche, which now accommodates 78 children, ADEPE was able to receive 70% of the children who were left on the border with the DRC by mothers doing cross-border trade. These children were left in the care of other young children who were forced to miss school. Toddlers spent their day in bad conditions of insecurity, without eating and crying. Some have disappeared or have been stolen. The first crib was therefore a salutary solution. It was created with the support of RGB, MIGEPROFE, and UNDP, which disbursed 50 million RWF for the start of the project, “he said.
He made the remarks in front of thirty journalists who perform decent on the ground in order to see progress or gaps in the fight against malnutrition in children under five.
He added that ADEPE has changed the perception of parents to ensure a rich diet and hygiene for their children. He hopes that with the inauguration of a second nursery of ADEPE, we will be able to welcome other children who will live in a “home” meeting the desired standards.
“We need the collaboration of the Government, the Private Sector, Civil Society and parents, so that such crèche programs reach more Rwandan children,” he said.
The director of the nursery, Louise Mukeshimana
For Louise Mukeshiman, director of the 1st day nursery of ADEPE located near the small barrier towards the DRC, just in the Mbugangari cell, Gisenyi Sector, Rubavu District, in the morning, the child benefits from the porridge or the milk, and from fruits, then lunch.
“We are working with health centers that have assigned a doctor to monitor our children closely. ADEPE provides training for moms and dads who send their children to this kindergarten. They are given practical knowledge of good nutrition for children and their follow-up. Then we give financial support for parents to start an income-generating activity to buy food and clothes for the children, including the boarder at our nursery, “she said.
Mukeshimana informed that the crèche employs six young mothers who take care of various child care. Five are in charge of education and the sixth is cooking. Children in the nursery are between 7 months and 3 years old. But the 2nd operational nursery from the current June will receive children between 4 and 5 years. The training given empowers the mother and the husband about the proper nutrition and hygiene that the child should enjoy.
“Our day care center is home to 78 children, including 46 boys and 32 girls who return home at 6 pm when their mothers return from the DRC as part of their cross-border trade activity. The condition for admission is that the child is from Rwandan parents of the 1st and 2nd categories, and that the mother carries out cross-border trade, “says Mukeshimana.
Moms approached highly appreciate the services provided by the ADEPE nursery in the care of children and their diet.
“I did not know anything about soy, vegetables, small fish or powdered indagara. It is the nursery ADEPE who told me this diet. I entrusted my child to the nursery when he was a year and a half. In six months, her health has improved, as well as all of her living conditions. He is a happy child enjoying an affection from his teachers. ADEPE gave me a donation of thirty thousand Frw which allows me to improve the living conditions of my household and initiate an income activity. I am a mother of four, but separated from her husband, “said Claudette Mutoni.
