Rwanda

Curio*, a 12-year-old in Mahama Refugee Camp, once dropped out of school and cared for neighbors' children after his father abandoned him — but after placement in a foster family supported by Save the Children, UNHCR and BPRM, he’s back in Primary Four, thriving and dreaming of becoming a doctor.

After fleeing violence in eastern DR Congo, JK, a 40-year-old mother of five, arrived at Musenyi refugee site in Burundi traumatized, separated from her children, and uncertain of her husband's fate. Through Save the Children's Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence programme, she received support that helped her regain confidence and begin rebuilding her life.

Access to affordable financing is helping climate entrepreneurs in Rwanda grow their businesses, create jobs, and improve the wellbeing of children and families. Through Kumwe Hub, Save the Children's child-impact investment initiative, ecopreneurs are expanding climate-smart solutions while contributing to more resilient and sustainable communities.

With determination, community support, and targeted investment, an Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre owner has transformed a small childcare initiative into a thriving learning environment, helping more children access quality early education while supporting working families.

Training, coaching, and mentorship provided through the Nkuza Neza Project are equipping ECD caregivers across Rwanda with the skills and confidence needed to deliver quality early childhood education, helping young children learn, play, and thrive in nurturing environments.

A quiet but significant transformation is taking place in schools across Rwanda. Through school visits that combine monitoring, mentorship, and hands-on support, education stakeholders are helping schools become more responsive, inclusive, and better equipped to ensure that no child is left behind.

When Sandra*, 21, repeatedly missed classes because she did not have a functional wheelchair and her school lacked ramps and a disability-friendly toilet, youth mentors with disabilities stepped in. They engaged local leaders and school management to secure a new wheelchair and advocate for necessary accessibility improvements at the school. They also worked with Sandra's parents to encourage their support for her education. These interventions improved her attendance and academic performance, although challenges related to the journey between home and school remain.

Fifteen-year-old Teta* left her refugee camp and stopped her studies in February 2026 after being promised a job. Little did she know that this would expose her to significant risks and threaten her dreams, protection, education, and future.After her mother reported her disappearance, coordinated efforts by Save the Children, UNHCR, the Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA), and the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) traced and rescued her. Returned home at the end of March, she received medical care, psychosocial support, and legal assistance. Today, she is recovering with her family and hopes to return to school in September to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher.

When Keza* was just two months old, she was too weak to breastfeed properly and continued losing weight. Her mother, Tina*, remembers the fear of watching her baby struggle to breathe. She was immediately rushed to Save the Children Health facility where screening showed that she was suffering from Severe acute Malnutrition. (SAM). With support from Save the Children, funded by the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM), and other partners, Keza gradually regained her strength. Today, she can sit, walk independently, and play with other children. Her MUAC increased from 7.5 cm to 16.7 cm, while her weight rose from 2.0 kg to 14.5 kg - a recovery that gave Tina back her peace of mind and Keza a chance to thrive.

A targeted door-to-door malaria response campaign in Mahama Refugee Camp has achieved a remarkable reduction in malaria cases, cutting weekly infections by approximately 86 percent within a month and helping protect thousands of vulnerable residents, including young children and pregnant women, from one of the community's deadliest health threats.

Therese*, 59, fled Burundi and arrived in Mahama Refugee Camp in 2015. Struggling with depression and anxiety after losing her business, property, and social status, she withdrew from her community and lost confidence in herself. Through Save the Children's mental health and occupational therapy support, Therese rebuilt her self-esteem, reconnected with her community, and now earns an income by making and selling handmade bags.

Skilled birth attendance reached 99.6% across Nyabiheke and Mahama refugee camps and Nkamira Transit Centre for asylum seekers during the first half of 2026. This achievement was driven by strengthened on-site maternal health services, competency-based midwife training, community health mobilization, and life-saving innovations such as drone-assisted blood delivery for obstetric emergencies.

Kumwe Hub made its first catalytic investments in Early Child Development (ECD) centres in 2023 to improve operational and management capacity of the centres for better outcomes. Owners who grasped the opportunity saw their initiatives growing in different dimensions to parents and children expectations.

The recent upsurge of conflict and violence in South Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, put thousands of populations on the way to seeking refuge in the neighbouring Burundi. In such massive displacements in precarious conditions and in absence of basic psychosocial and health services, the most vulnerable, including children, suffer the most.

Access to scholastic materials for children from low-income category, including those out-of-school who have returned to back confirms increase of prospects for stable and steady learning for all children.

“BAKURE NEZA” Project has recently presented satisfactory results and achievements to partners and stakeholders. Civil society actors and children survivors of different kinds of exploitation are hopeful for the future due to the interventions of the project in capacity strengthening and education of the community (Photo: Jimbere Magazine, Burundi).

Youth Mentors with disabilities lead community mobilisation against misunderstanding, stigma, and isolation of persons with disabilities. Their role in amplifying voices of children and youth with disabilities to local leaders and decision-makers is also vital to obtain support and changes necessary for their social and economic integration.

Social and economic difficult situations of families remain one of the main barriers to deny children the opportunity to attend school. Kare’s story highlights how children can still breed their dreams with joint community support.

Timely follow-up and care for children with high risk of malnutrition contribute to preventing related child morbidity. Parents are encouraged to regularly consult health workers as prescribed and report any incident that may affect child's health.

Cervical cancer remains one of the most dangerous and deadly cancers for women globally. However, community awareness, early detection and proper treatment are vital in determining a positive outcome.

Clemence, 19, is a Rwandan returnee from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). She is overjoyed to be holding in her arms her two-week-old baby girl, Dalia*, in her homeland after a timely lifesaving intervention by the Save the Children’s health team at the border post between Rwanda and DR Congo.

The Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) programme in Mahama Refugee Camp has achieved near‑zero mother‑to‑child HIV transmission—only one case in eight years—thanks to accessible care and strong community health workers support, though funding cuts threaten these gains.

Up to 80 children from seven districts and Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda gathered to urge climate decision-makers to include their voices in climate policy discussions ahead of COP30. They emphasized their vulnerability to effects of climate change and demanded child-sensitive priorities in national climate plans, especially the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC.3).

Over 60 children from 16 African countries are urging their heads of state at the Africa Climate Summit this week to consider their views and experiences in shaping climate policies, with children in most of the continent found to be at high or extremely high risk of the impacts of climate change.

Children in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya will benefit from new paediatric medical equipment as a result of a child-lens investment by Save the Children Global Ventures (SCGV).

At least four children have also died upon arrival in Burundi due to illness, said Save the Children, with the squalid conditions in the transit camps and lack of medical supplies leaving children extremely vulnerable to disease and death.