UNICEF in Rwanda

Known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, Rwanda is also now the most densely populated country in Africa with over 300 people per square kilometre.

Half of Rwanda’s citizens are under the age of 18. Most of these children live below a dollar a day. Many are still recovering from the 1994 genocide and its aftermath.

In spite of these factors, the country has achieved remarkable progress, particularly in accelerating child survival and primary school enrolment. Between 2000 and 2007, infant mortality fell from 107 to 62 deaths per 1,000 live births. Progress in child survival has come thanks to a variety of efforts, notably improved maternal and neonatal care, increased deliveries at health centres, expanded scope of routine immunizations, community nutrition programmes, Vitamin A supplementation campaigns, an aggressive malaria prevention programme and access to health insurance.

Enrolment in primary school has also seen a rapid increase with 96 percent of all girls and boys starting school.

Challenges remain, however, most notably:

Close to three million children are classified as orphans or otherwise vulnerable because they cannot consistently rely on a family or informal means of support. This number represents 83 percent of all children in the country
Some 100,000 orphans live in child headed households
While overall HIV prevalence remains low (about 3%), only half of all children in need of anti-retroviral treatment receive it
Close to half of all children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition
More than 80 percent of all diseases that affect children are water-borne
Neonatal deaths are still high at 37 per 1,000 live births
Of the children who enrol in school, half do not complete the primary cycle
Approximately 4 percent of children aged 5-14 are working, mostly in domestic service and the informal economy
Over half of all households are either food-insecure or vulnerable due to fluctuations in global food prices, shocks and natural disasters as well as loss of soil productivity and steadily shrinking per capita availability of arable land

To meet these challenges, the Government of Rwanda is implementing a spectrum of programmes and initiatives for children, with support from a variety of development partners including UNICEF. Results from recent efforts include, but are not limited to the following:

Over 97 percent of all children under five have been supplemented with vitamin A, boasting their immunity and chance of survival
Access to and use of health and health-related services has improved since 2003, with 74 percent of the population living within five kilometres of a health (up from 58 percent in 2003)
Tetanus has been eliminated from the country and efforts are underway to tackle measles and hepatitis
An additional 100,000 people accessed safe water for the first time in 2007; nationally, 66 percent of the population is able to access safe water
Some 25 percent less children suffer from malaria since 2005, due to a national programme that aims to reach 90 percent of all households with insecticide treated bed nets by 2012.
More than half of women (53 percent) now deliver in the presence of skilled personnel. This has increased from 39 percent in 2005.
The number of children on anti-retroviral treatment jumped from 2757 to 3788 between 2006 and 2007
281 sites exist – up from 33 in 2002 – to help women access prevention and treatment for HIV
Between 2004 and 2007, total government spending related to child rights realisation increased by 13 percent in real terms - with the Government endorsing in 2007, a five year National Strategic Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children
52 schools in the country are “model child-friendly schools” with an additional 400 more on track to become child-friendly centres of learning and care by 2012.

And finally, to rebuild classrooms damaged in the earthquake of February 2008, UNICEF teams have constructed 212 temporary classrooms with water and sanitation facilities. UNICEF continues to assist the Government of Rwanda in its reconstruction efforts, most notably helping to rebuild to child-friendly and seismic standards, a 24-classroom school that was completely destroyed.

UNICEF in Rwanda To Download click pdf unicef_in_rwanda_for_un_website 91.41 Kb

For more information, please contact
Chief. Communication and External
Relations UNICEF Kigali
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it