Rwanda
Ensuring people with disabilities are not forgotten
© J. Clark/Handicap International |
Handicap International began work in Rwanda in July 1994, just after the end of the genocide. For several years, the programme has been helping the Rwandan population, civil society and the government to reconstruct and develop the country, ensuring that vulnerable groups, in particular people with disabilities, are not forgotten.
Our main areas of activity are promoting functional rehabilitation and community-based rehabilitation activities, developing an inclusive socio-educational approach towards children with disabilities, the promotion of mental health care and combatting epilepsy and HIV/AIDs.
Key Facts - Rwanda
• Population:10.3 million
• Household Consumption: $516 per year
• Life Expectancy: 51 years
• Human Development: ranked 152nd out of 169 countries
Source: UNDP HDR 2011
The story of Bonheur, who never gave upBonheur is an orphan. Her parents were killed during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, when she was still a little baby. She currently lives with her aunt, who also lost her husband during the genocide.
The fight against epilepsyEpilepsy is a disabling condition that is having a major impact on the Rwandan population. Handicap International has decided to launch an ambitious project to combat the disorder.
Our projects
 | Promoting inclusive education
Our inclusive education project in Rwanda aims to support the Ministry of Education in developing the education system to ensure it becomes more flexible, inclusive and offers good educational conditions for all children. The project works with specialist educational centres to facilitate their integration into the education system. These specialist centres build bridges with partner schools to strengthen the inclusion of vulnerable children, in particular children with disabilities, in mainstream schools. |
 | Epilepsy control
Handicap International embarked on a project to help children with epilepsy to access quality healthcare, to live normally within their families and communities, and to go to school like other children. The initiative aims to increase the involvement of Rwandan society in combating the disease, in particular through the creation of a Rwandan epilepsy league. |
| The fight against HIV/AIDS
This programme encourages the involvement of the disability movement in a government-organised national campaign to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. The association aims to ensure:
-children and young people in disabling situations are cared for in specialised institutions and are able to protect themselves against the virus,
-different categories of people in disabling situations enjoy access to prevention information and testing and care services,
-major HIV/AIDS organisations include more people with disabilities among their beneficiaries . |
| Mental health
A project aimed at improving the mental health of a population deeply affected by the atrocities witnessed during the war and genocide. Handicap International is working to improve long-term mental health by strengthening the development of social links using a community mental health approach, while ensuring the provision of a local care structure for people (especially children and teenagers) with psychological problems. |
 | Functional rehabilitation and community-based rehabilitation
Management of the rehabilitation services (physiotherapy and orthopaedic fitting) set up by Handicap International over the last few years has been handed over to public hospitals, and we are now working at a national level to improve care management for people with physical disabilities. We are also offering a continuous training programme for orthoprosthetic technicians and physiotherapists in existing positions. We are also developing a community-based rehabilitation approach in five districts of Rwanda. |
