Rwanda’s Orphans – Care and Integration During Uncertain Times

Children and youth are considered cornerstones of development in post-conflict state-building practices. In the case of Rwanda, the government has engaged in an ambitious state-initiated deinstitutionalization project that anticipates the closure of all officially registered orphanages between 2012 and 2014. As a consequence, all orphans within institutional care will return to their extended families or be placed with foster parents to be given the opportunity to grow up within a Rwandan family environment. By investigating the lived realities of orphans before their departure from the orphanage, it becomes apparent that there is no “one size fits all” approach to systems of child care as historical and psychosocial dynamics play a crucial role.