Turakura Kids Rwanda

Turakura Kids Rwanda

A safe home to grow up in and quality education is essential for children’s lives. Our dream is to invest in the future of 25,000 children aged 0-7 in Rwanda within ten years. Together with their parents, our partners, and our professional staff, we invest in a good start, a safe home environment, and high-quality early childhood education to give children the best chances. Because a good start offers a promising future!

At school

Young children can learn, discover, grow, and play in their own way, which helps them to get a good start in primary school.

Education is an investment that lasts a lifetime. Early Childhood Education (ECD) centers encourage children to learn, function in a group, and play. Our project not only builds an ECD center but also ensures that it remains sustainable by training teachers and empowering parents to take responsibility. After preschool, children transition to government-subsidized primary education. Therefore, we always build our ECD centers next to an existing primary school.

Our core objectives:

  • A certain number of ECD centers will be built or improved. At least 2 ECD centers per district per year (total of 6). More centers may be added with sufficient funding (40k per center)
  • All ECD centers use play materials and methods for learning through play and have caregivers and teachers/staff trained in child development and the national curriculum’s requirements
  • Children with disabilities can participate in lessons at the ECD centers
  • Parents can contribute financially to the preschool
  • The government financially contributes to the preschool
  • The preschool reports that there is enough income to keep the school running
  • No children drop out of the preschool; all children complete their preschool education
  • At least 95% of children transition directly to primary school.

Investing in education and care at a young age is cost-effective. The earlier you give children a good start and quality care, the higher the return on investment. Studies across the world have shown that interventions that improve the care of children aged 0-6 lead to fewer physical and mental problems later in life, and even higher incomes. Help a Child works on ECD centers where this care is provided. In such a way that after a few years, when we leave, the community, with the help of the government, can continue to run and fund the center itself.

At home

Young children receive all the care from parents, family, and caregivers that they need. The foundation of a child is at home; a healthy family is vital! Through training and self-help groups, (future) parents learn how to care for their children, provide good parenting, and earn enough income to meet their needs.

Our core objectives:

  • (Future) parents feel confident and supported in their environment in raising their child
  • Parents have daily time to talk to and listen to their child
  • Parents feel they can provide a safe environment for their child
  • Parents have enough income and food to live on and can provide for their children’s basic needs.

In the community

Young children need a place in the community where they are protected and receive the care they need. It is important that children have a safe place to grow up and be protected from (sexual) violence, neglect, and exploitation. By training child protectors, setting up safe spaces, and collaborating with local authorities, we ensure that children can tell their stories, are safe, and can report abuse when necessary.

Our core objectives:

  • The government is involved in early childhood development through the deployment of civil servants and financially supports this
  • In all the areas where we work, child protection committees are active
  • People report that there are few cases of child abuse and exploitation and that their community is a safe place for children
  • Most (if not all) families with young children have access to the most important public services relevant to them (including ECD centers, healthcare, water, sanitation, electricity, and markets).
  • Community structures, such as local interest groups, local foundations, or businesses, can carry out their activities without support from external organizations.