Community-based Alternative Care as a Strategy for Protecting Burundian Refugee Girls and Boys: A Case Study from Mahama camp, Rwanda

Author(s)
Shaphren, A.
Publication language
English
Pages
12pp
Date published
01 Mar 2017
Type
Research, reports and studies
Keywords
Children & youth, Protection, human rights & security, Forced displacement and migration
Countries
Rwanda
Organisations
Plan International
Link
http://plan-international.org/publications/community-based-alternative-care-buru…

This case study describes the community-based child protection programme implemented between 2015 and 2016 with Burundian girls, boys and adults in Mahama refugee camp in Rwanda.

Between April and July 2015, over 150,000 people fled Burundi after civil unrest and violence broke out following president Nkurunziza’s announcement that he would run for a third term. Families sent their children to seek refuge in neighbouring Rwanda, while the parents stayed behind to guard their houses and belongings. As a result, over 2,000 girls and boys arrived in Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda without their original caregivers.

To improve the capacity of the local community to care for and protect the most vulnerable children, including those separated from their families, Plan International implemented a comprehensive community-based child protection programme in Mahama Refugee Camp.