Comfort

 Rwanda:  Street  Children  

 

   

The  Comfort  Rwanda  charity  was  set  up  in  1999  as  a  partnership  between  Scottish  
churches  and  two  Rwandan  Christian  organisations,  The  Living  Church  and  Solace  
Ministries.    

There  are  7000  street  children  living  in  the  central  African  country  of  Rwanda  and  
most  of  them  live  in  Kigali,  which  is  Rwanda’s  capital.  There  are  so  many  street  
children  because  of  the  1994  genocide  and  civil  war  between  two  rival  tribes  
which  killed  many  of  their  parents.  Another  reason  is  the  HIV/  AIDS  epidemic  
which  left  a  lot  of  orphans.  These  children  had  no  choice  but  to  try  and  support  
themselves  by  living  on  the  streets.  

The  government  has  tried  to  address  the  problem  by  rounding  up  the  children  
and  putting  them  in  a  detention  centre.  There  are  eleven  centres  in  Kigali,  one  of  
them  called  the  Gikondo  centre.  The  centres  were  set  up  to  help  the  problem,  but  
the  children  aren’t  fed  properly  and  have  to  cope  with  abuse  from  adults  who  are  
held  in  the  same  buildings.  No  street  children  were  supposed  to  be  held  for  more  
than  three  days  in  a  centre,  but  one  thirteen  year  old  boy  died  of  starvation  in  
one  of  the  centres  in  April  2006.  
The  children  who  are  living  on  the  streets  have  to  make  their  own  homes,  
sometimes  out  of  cardboard  sheets  or  whatever  they  can  find.  Some  children  
even  live  in  holes  in  river  banks.  

Some  of  the  dangers  that  the  children  face  are  poverty,  hunger  and  violence.    A  
study  showed  that  96%  of  the  children  were  completely  traumatised,  having  
witnessed  the  terrible  deaths  of  the  genocide.  The  children  have  to  either  starve,  
or  steal  food  from  street  vendors.    If  they  are  caught  stealing,  they  are  beaten  and  
have  no  hospital  to  go  to,  leaving  the  wounds  open  and  easily  infected.  The  
children  also  get  addicted  to  sniffing  petrol  fumes  and  glue  and  take  to  drinking  
alcohol.  

Some  of  the  people  running  the  charity  are  in  Rwanda,  and  some  are  in  Scotland,  
based  in  Kilsyth.  The  charity’s  Rwandan  partners  are  mainly  survivors  of  the  
genocide  or  people  who  were  in  exile  and  came  back  to  help  when  the  genocide  
was  over.  Many  of  the  survivors  help  by  building  wells  and  planting  seeds.  Others  
help  with  education  and  widows  help  by  taking  part  in  a  sewing  project.  

The  survivors  who  run  the  charity  are  Christians  and  have  to  be  able  to  do  
counselling  and  care  for  orphans.  They  really  love  their  country  but  also  need  to  
have  practical  skills.  Also,  they  need  to  support  and  care  for  other  Rwandans,  
train  others  to  help,  be  constantly  patient  and  are  completely  set  on  restoring  
hope  to  Rwanda.  They  are  all  able  to  trust  each  other  completely.  They  need  to  
have  belief  in  what  they  are  doing  and  be  utterly  self  sacrificing.    

The  type  of  Work  Comfort  Rwanda  does  includes  providing  healthy  meals  three  
days  a  week  for  a  child,  supplying  a  child  with  clothes,  soap  and  toothpaste  
throughout  the  year,  getting  the  child  back  into  school  by  paying  for  school  fees  
and  workbooks,  giving  beds  to  the  children  who  have  to  sleep  in  the  church,  and  
providing  employment  training  and  equipment.  

One  example  is  Jean-­‐Pierre,  who  has  been  helped  by  Comfort  Rwanda.    His  
mother  died  when  he  was  only  six  years  old  and  his  father  was  in  prison,  so  he  
went  to  his  grandmother  for  help,  but  she  was  too  poor  and  frail  to  take  care  of  
him.    He  ended  up  on  the  streets  of  Kigali,  living  off  any  scraps  of  food  he  could  
find.    Some  people  from  the  Living  Church,  which  a  partner  of  Comfort  Rwanda,  
gave  him  food,  clothing,  shelter  and  the  chance  to  go  to  school.    Some  of  his  
friends,  who  were  also  once  street  children,  have  formed  a  choir  and  traditional  
dance  group  and  they  call  themselves  ‘The  friends  of  Jesus’.    

A  good  example  of  the  kind  of  things  Comfort  Rwanda  supports  is  the  bakery  at  
the  Living  Church  in  Kigali.    Children,  who  used  to  fend  for  themselves  on  the  
streets,  are  trained  to  make  bread  and  rolls  to  sell  to  people  in  the  city.    It  is  hard  
work  as  they  spend  the  evenings  baking  and  go  out  on  bikes  at  6  o’clock  each  
morning  to  deliver  the  bread.    Then  they  go  to  school.  

   

   
 Teachings  of  Jesus  
The  Comfort  Rwanda  workers  believe  they  are  spreading  the  kindness  that  Jesus  
showed  towards  the  poor.    They  also  believe  that  God  shows  love  towards  the  
poor  and  that  they  should  do  the  same  and  help  those  who  are  less  fortunate.  
They  work  by  the  bible  passage  Psalm  146  verse  7  which  is:    

“He  who  executes  justice  for  the  oppressed;  who  gives  food  to  the  hungry.  The  
lord  sets  the  prisoner  free.  The  lord  opens  the  eyes  of  the  blind;  the  lord  raises  up  
those  who  are  bowed  down;  the  lord  loves  the  righteous;  the  lord  protects  the  
strangers;  he  supports  the  fatherless  and  the  widow.”  

They  believe  that  in  doing  God’s  work  they  can  show  the  love  from  God  to  the  
street  children,  teach  them  about  God  and  set  up  churches  that  the  children  can  
go  to.    

Jesus  always  made  sure  he  had  time  for  children.    When  the  disciples  were  
chasing  children  away  because  they  thought  Jesus  did  not  want  to  be  bothered,  
he  scolded  them  and  said    “Let  the  little  children  come  to  me,  and  do  not  hinder  
them,  for  the  kingdom  of  God  belongs  to  such  as  these”  (Luke  18:16  NIV).  We  
know  that  Jesus  values  children  because  he  brings  Jairus’s  daughter  back  to  life  
(Mark  5).    Jesus  treats  children  as  equals.    He  used  the  five  loaves  and  two  fishes  
belonging  to  a  young  boy  when  he  fed  the  five  thousand  people  (John  6)  

In  the  story  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  Jesus  shows  us  that  loving  our  neighbour  
means  offering  practical  help  whenever  it  is  needed  and  to  whoever  needs  it.    
Comfort  Rwanda  is  following  this  teaching  by  taking  care  of  abandoned  children  
and  healing  their  wounds.    The  man  in  the  story  had  physical  injuries  but  the  
street  children  often  suffer  from  trauma  and  emotional  difficulties.    The  Good  
Samaritan  gave  money  to  the  innkeeper  to  carry  on  caring  for  the  injured  man  
and  Comfort  Rwanda  supports  projects  like  the  Living  Church,  which  provides  
shelter,  food,  and  the  chance  for  street  children  to  go  to  school.    It  gives  them  
opportunities  to  earn  money  for  themselves,  through  projects  like  the  bakery,  so  
the  children  can  have  a  brighter  future.  

 
 Conclusion  
I  was  completely  shocked  to  see  what  kind  of  conditions  these  Rwandan  street  
children  live  in.  It  is  impossible  to  even  try  to  imagine  how  hard  life  is  for  them.    I  
really  think  that  the  Comfort  Rwanda  project  is  a  fantastic  way  to  help  the  
children  and  even  though  the  workers  may  not  be  seen  as  doing  something  
glamorous,  they  still  do  it  for  what  they  believe  in,  which  I  think  takes  a  lot  of  
courage.    

 Comfort  Rwanda  helps  these  children  so  much  and  the  only  reward  that  the  
charity  workers  get  is  a  sense  of  achievement  and  a  feeling  that  their  work  is  
worthwhile.    

I  really  like  this  charity  because  what  they  are  doing  is  important.  I  think  that  
Comfort  Rwanda  is  a  very  successful  and  worthwhile  cause,  so  if  I  had  to  choose  a  
charity  to  support,  Comfort  Rwanda  would  be  my  immediate  choice.