Thurday, 31 May 2024 - The National Child Development Agency (NCDA) and its partners in child development, promotion, and protection gathered with over 1,000 'Guardian Angels' known as Malayika Murinzi from across the country in Muhanga District to honor them for their unwavering dedication, compassion, and care for abandoned children.

Celebration of the Malayika Murinzi – Guardian Angels – idea was about identifying and rewarding adults who have shown remarkable compassion and selflessness by adopting, caring and protecting vulnerable children in their own communities.

Initiated in 2007, locally, Marayika Murinzi was established as a continuation of the Organization of African First Ladies program 'Treat Every Child as your Own'.

In the celebration of Malayika Murinzi Day, in Muhanga District, on Friday, May 31, 2024; the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Dr. Valentine Uwamariya urged Families to embrace their parental responsibilities so as to combat the growing issue of child abandonment.

She further acknowledged the vital role of families as the foundation of both the community and the nation and commended the extraordinary initiatives taken by families in providing loving homes for abandoned children.

The minister noted: “We need to provide for children's needs, show them love, spend time with them, give them nutritious food, provide health care, and send them to school. These are the primary responsibilities of every parent to ensure kids receive proper cognitive development in every aspect.”

As part of the celebration, 60 guardian angels (2 in each district) received cows, 5 of them received the cows at the celebration venue. Additionally, other guardian angels received certificates in recognition of their unwavering commitment, compassion, and love for children in need.

One of the honoree is Gertrude Mukashema, a resident of Kirengera Village, in Byimana Sector, Ruhango District. She shared her experience of fostering two children.

Mukashema who is married with six children of her own, received her first foster son in 2011 soon after he had been abandoned. At that time, she was on the village committee, and was approached for help after the baby was found in a bush. The boy, Irakoze Mugisha, now 13, is in primary school.

Her second foster child, a girl named Ornella Igisubizo, is a year and two months old. She was also abandoned and given to a family that refused her. Mukashema decided to take charge and care for her as well.

Assumpta Ingabire, the Director General of NCDA, said, “We have not encountered any problem finding someone to care for abandoned children whenever necessary, despite some parents' bad habits of neglecting their own children.”

“Although we've accomplished a lot, we still face problems of stunting, teen pregnancies, school dropouts, and more. We need to collectively work together to combat these issues and encourage the need to raise better children with civic education for the country.” Assumpta added.

Every year, around 700 children are abandoned by parents and extended families, and all of them are placed into foster care families where they live in a safe and stable environment.

In 2012, the government started implementing a strategy for national child care reform through the Tubarerere Mu Muryango Program, to encourage all children to be raised in a family setup. Children in orphanages were either reunited with their families, if they had them, or placed into foster homes. But there has been a rise in child abandonment due to parents failing to fulfil their roles or due to other factors leading.

Since then, 3,465 children and young adults who were in institutional care have been placed into families. Among them, 589 children were placed into the care of the foster families called Malayika Murinzi. Currently, there are 6,483 such foster families countrywide.