Access to clean water in DRC

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Nemba and Sebele are villages in the areas of Baraka/Fizi and South Kivu in DRC. Both villages have difficulty accessing clean water. In response to this problem, the Help a Child programme put in place a photovoltaic well tap to provide relief for the inhabitants.

A photovoltaic well system consists of an electric motor pump under a system of solar panels producing energy that turns the motor to bring water up from eight metres underground to the reserve tank, where it is piped to the two standpipes that provide access to clean water in the community.

Munyonge Rachid, President of the Water Committee of Nemba, demonstrates the newly constructed well. “This well is of great importance to us. Before we put this well in place, the people of Nemba and Sebele used to get water from this same place; however, it was an open hole and very risky. To draw water, you had to put rope on a container, plunge it into the hall until water is reached and then bring it back to the surface. Most of the time these containers gave way and fell in, and the inhabitants lost a lot of things inside which caused the water to change colour and resulted in constant sickness amongst our habitants. Now we are so grateful to have access to clean water for everyone.”

Bridging the gap to primary education in Uganda

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In 2024, a model ECD centre was built in Aojapiro, Uganda to bridge the gap before primary education and reduce the high dropout rates in primary schools in the district. Currently, only about 15 out of every 40 children who enrol in nursery school transition to primary education due to inadequate teaching facilities and caregivers. The new model centre aims to create a stable and supportive learning environment for approximately 3,360 children, to improve these statistics.

ECD teacher training in Rwanda

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Help a Child Rwanda strongly supports the Rwandan government’s priorities in enhancing access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) services for children and families. Recognizing the need to increase ECD access, Help a Child plays a key role in reinforcing ECD services as vital community spaces by training ECD caregivers.

Considering the limited capacity of both parents and caregivers to deliver quality ECD services, Help a Child Rwanda focuses on equipping ECD caregivers with the skills and knowledge to provide high-quality services. A core element of the training is ensuring that ECD teachers and caregivers are empowered to maintain ECD environments that are playful, safe, and clean, fostering an ideal learning atmosphere for children.

589 trained ECD teachers
In 2024, Help a Child Rwanda successfully trained 589 ECD teachers. The training emphasized playful learning, inclusive teaching practices, and care methodologies. It also aligned these approaches with Rwanda’s ECD curriculum, ensuring a more cohesive and effective teaching strategy. The training was noteworthy for its collaboration between ECD teachers and the parents of the children they serve. This partnership was enriched by the involvement of parents in ECD activities, including toymaking, creating a holistic approach to early childhood education that benefits both children and families.

Through this initiative, Help a Child Rwanda continues to build sustainable, high-quality ECD practices, supporting the development of both teachers and the children in their care.

Rêves des Enfants Project is changing lives in Burundi

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The Rêves des Enfants project in Burundi aims to promote a multisectoral early childhood development package with a focus on the first 1000 days of a child. It has been a source of hope for many families in Kayanza where the project is being implemented. A joint delegation from the government and UNICEF visited the project this year to see the impact firsthand.

Maternal and child health services
The first stop is the Rwegura Health Centre, a place that has transformed maternal and child health services in the community. It supports pregnant women, from antenatal consultations to assisted childbirth, vaccination and birth registration. Thanks to the project, the health centre has introduced an interoperable system allowing seamless birth registration. Aditionally, a new latrine block has been constructed, providing better sanitation for mothers and children. Nearby, a stimulation and early-learning area has been created, where young children can play and learn, building essential skills.

“Before, we had to travel long distances to register our children, often missing deadlines. Now, everything is done here at the health centre, and it has made life so much easier for us,” a mother shares with a relieved smile.

Nutrition and cognitive and social development
The second stop is a community-based nutritional training centre, where a group of mothers is engaged in a nutrition and behaviour change training session. Among them is a mother who once feared for her child’s health: “A few months ago, my son was weak and unresponsive. He had lost weight, and I didn’t know what to do. But when I brought him here, the caregivers provided us with nutritional support and guidance. After just twelve days, he regained his strength. Today, he is healthy and playful again,” she recounts.

 

The training centre treats malnourished children and supports them in rehabilitation so they can recover fully. Beyond nutrition, the centre also features a stimulation area, where children are encouraged to explore, play, and interact—critical elements for their cognitive and social development.

Since the start of Rêves des Enfants in 2024, the project has given hope to many children and families in Kayanza. Help a Child is committed to continue working together with its partners Help Channel and SAD to ensure no child is left behind.

Scaling up PIP in Malawi

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Over the last year the programmes in Malawi has made huge wins in scaling up PIP. The PIP approach contributes to the improvement of children’s wellbeing in rural areas where agriculture remains the most important form of livelihood. The benefits of PIP translate not only into improved basic nutritional needs but also into improved steady income, environmental stewardship, and sustainable change.

Overcoming disability and rebuilding hope in Kenya

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Brian is a five-year-old boy from Kenya with cerebral palsy and autism. For a long time he was unable to walk or sit without support due to his disability and therefore relying entirely on his mother for daily care. Due to the myths and stigma associated with disability in his community, Brian was often hidden away and denied access to basic healthcare. However, his life completely changed when his mother joined a disability programme.  

Brian’s mother recalls: “As a parent, I struggled with the daily difficulty of carrying Brian everywhere, which added significant stress to my life.” She was not just her son’s caretaker, but also the sole breadwinner of the family. It was during this difficult time that she, a member of the Help a Child Self-Help Group (SHG), was made aware of a disability programme and encouraged to join the Kiangu Wendo People with Disabilities (PWD) Group. This programme aims to build inclusive communities in which children with (and without) disabilities can flourish.

A brighter future through beekeeping in Malawi

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In 2024, many youth groups in Malawi ventured into the beekeeping business, This business not only boosts their economic muscle and helps them provide for their desired future and for their families. It also enables them to become good stewards of their forests. The availability of thick forests is key to the success of beekeeping, which means forests will be safeguarded. This way economic empowerment and environmental conservation are integrated.

With this beekeeping project, young Malawians earn money, gain knowledge, change their attitude, and work to protect and sustainably utilize natural resources. This diverts them away from environmentally detrimental practices such as charcoal burning. In Zilakoma, for example, 207 young parents from six youth clubs ventured into honey production. The project provided them with materials and trained them in beehive making, beekeeping, and management.

A brighter future
By December 2024 these young parents generated MWK 390,000 (€195) after selling thirty litres of honey harvested from nine beehives, which they packaged and branded.

They have a readily available market for their produce. In 2025 they are hoping to harvest honey from all of their 106 beehives. They are projecting a brighter future of earning millions when all of these beehives are colonized, enabling them to provide for their desired future and for their families.

From mud walls to a thriving learning environment in Kenya

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In the quiet village of Mukemo, in Busia County in Kenya, young children once began their school days seated on cold, bare ground inside a crumbling mud-walled classroom. The structure had worn-out iron sheets for roofing and no proper flooring. During rainy seasons, water would flood the classroom, hence disrupting lessons and exposing children to health risks. When a storm eventually blew off the roof, classes continued under trees and verandas, placing children at further risk. Until this year, when Mukemo Primary School went through a complete transformation.

  

Resilience perspective for refugees in Burundi

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Refugee support under pressure
In 2021 Help a Child Burundi initiated a Humanitarian and Disaster Response to support improving conditions of refugees by providing food and cash aid in partnership with World Food Program (WFP). Three refugee camps in Ngozi, Muyinga and Cankuzo, with over 33,000 refugees, are currently supported by this. However, the new influx of approximately 71,000 Congolese refugees has put pressure on the limited resources. Food portions have been reduced by 50% to accomodate new arrivals. On top of this, the shrinking of funding exacerbated by the suspension of US reinstallation programs has impacted support for refugees.

Resilience perspective for refugees
In response to this, Help a Child is establishing vegetable gardens in all three refugee camps through the project “Food assistance and community recovery for populations vulnerable to malnutrition and food insecurity in Burundi”, with a special focus on improving nutrition for women and children. Additionally, Help a Child is advocating for more space to develop agriculture activities and promoting kitchen gardens within the small plots available. Refugees are also being integrated into national social protection systems to increase their resources, through the project “Productive Social Safety and Employment support”.

With these interventions, Help a Child is aiming to bring a resilience perspective for all refugees in Burundi.

Help a Child DR Congo is recruiting for two positions

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Help a Child DR Congo is recruiting for two positions: Officier de Protection de l’Enfant et VBG en Psychologue Clinicien.

Help a Child (HAC) est une organisation chrétienne humanitaire et de développement dont le siège se trouve aux Pays-Bas. Active en République Démocratique du Congo depuis 2008, elle a pour mission de donner aux enfants vivant dans la pauvreté et les crises un avenir meilleur.

HAC intervient dans les domaines de la protection de l’enfance, la lutte contre les violences basées sur le genre (VBG), l’éducation, la sécurité alimentaire, l’eau, l’hygiène et l’assainissement, ainsi que l’autonomisation des ménages et des jeunes. Son approche est communautaire, inclusive et centrée sur les enfants, avec une attention particulière portée aux filles, aux enfants handicapés, et aux personnes vulnérables.

To apply and for more information, click on the links:
Officier de Protection de l’Enfant et VBG
Psychologue Clinicien