Partners and administration of Muhanga prison have said that children born in prison or those coming with their mothers while young should not face the consequencies of their parents.
This was confirmed on February 28th 2012 during an event to officially open a children care centre “Centre Psycho-social AMAHORO” for children that are born in Muhanga prison.
The care centre will teach children, care for them and provide advice for inmates and prison workers on mental health.
Eugeni Musayidire, founder of this centre reveals to have got the idea after visiting this prison and saw children below three years of age staying with their mothers in the prison.
Children being in prison looked like they are prisoners because they suffered the consequencies.
“These children did not know life outside the prison. They cannot differentiate a dog from a cow. They have been on their mothers backs and fear the sand we have prepared for them to play in,” adds Musayidire
One inmate with a two years old child says this care centre will help them grow well because they have been living a life of prisoners.
“Our children could stay on our backs without space to play from but now they have got a place to play from. Although they will not meet their relatives, the care centre will teach them human behavior,” adds the prisoner mother.
One of the Acting Commissioners of prisons in Rwanda, Emmanuel Rukundo asserts that the children’s centre is a solution to the inmate mothers who have been going through the struggle to take care of themselves and also the children with less or no capacity to up bring children.
Head of Muhanga prison Gerald Ntarugera confirms that prisons are faced with problems of raising children of prisoners without the governments help.
He adds that raising inmates’ children should be a responsibility of Ministry of gender and family promotion (MIJEPROF).
Centre Psycho-social AMAHORO, was built by Eugenie Musayidire funded by Green Helmets project.