Rwanda was seriously affected by the genocide of the Tutsis which left more than 800,000 people dead in 1994. In 1996, two years after starting up its work to assist the victims of the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda, Humanity & Inclusion launched its first mental health project.
More than twenty years later, the country still suffers from the highest level of post-traumatic stress disorder in the region. Despite the national mental health policy put in place as early as 1995, the genocide is still the main reason for this. Humanity & Inclusion undertakes mental health actions with Rwandans who are suffering from psychological distress, and helps them to get back their footing. The organisation specifically supports people with disabilities who are experiencing psychological disorders after suffering violence, for example by setting up discussion groups, notably in Congolese and Burundian refugee camps.
As part of its Ubuntu Care project, Humanity & Inclusion takes action to help vulnerable Rwandan children, especially children with disabilities. The organisation carries out awareness-raising and advocates for the strengthening of child protection processes in place in Rwanda, with the aim of protecting children from sexual violence. It also works with the Ministry of Education to guarantee access to education for all children, for example by training teachers and making buildings accessible for children with disabilities.
Humanity & Inclusion also aims to provide quality and accessible rehabilitation services in Rwanda, notably by providing support to the Rwanda Occupational Therapy Association, which organises awareness-raising sessions on occupational therapy and the like, and by helping improve the quality of training for occupational therapists.
Humanity & Inclusion promotes the inclusion of Rwandan people with disabilities in society in terms of access to health care, education, sport and so on, in particular at community level. The organisation offers support to disabled people’s organisations, providing them with technical and financial assistance. This enables these organisations to pursue actions to promote the rights and civic participation of people with disabilities.
In order to improve the ways in which disability is dealt with in Rwanda, Humanity & Inclusion is conducting occupational therapy training and simultaneously is calling on the government to recognise the profession at national level. The organisation is also working to improve epilepsy prevention and care, especially for mothers and children.
Lastly, the organisation also ensures older people and people with disabilities have access to specific services (rehabilitation, latrines, and the like) in refugee camps and for urban refugees.
