Help Children in Rwanda

Why UNICEF works in Rwanda 

UNICEF has been supporting children and families in Rwanda, a landlocked country in east Africa, since 1986. Following the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, UNICEF's assistance focused on emergency, recovery and small-scale projects. In 2007, UNICEF's work in Rwanda shifted to larger scale projects and national policy support to key government priority areas. Since then, UNICEF has continued to work in Rwanda towards sustainable development and child equity. 

Learn more about UNICEF’s work in Africa

Challenges facing children in Rwanda 

Despite Rwanda’s progress, children and their families still face significant challenges. Around 70 percent of the population live in rural areas, despite rapid urbanization. Poverty remains widespread with children disproportionally affected, often experiencing multiple deprivations of their basic needs. 

Rwanda is also prone to natural disasters, including droughts, floods, landslides, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In addition, the country hosts tens of thousands of refugees from neighboring countries — nearly half of whom are children — straining social systems already struggling to keep up. 

Some of the challenges that children in Rwanda face include: 

• chronic malnutrition or stunting
• limited access to education and low quality instruction
• unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) conditions
• mental health struggles 

Learn more about children living in poverty 

Learn more about child malnutrition and how UNICEF fights child hunger

How UNICEF is making a difference in Rwanda

UNICEF adopts a multi-faceted approach in Rwanda, focusing on realizing the rights of all children and helping them build a strong foundation for a better chance at fulfilling their potential. That means helping to make sure children have adequate shelter, good nutrition, clean water and sanitation, health care and education — and extra support when emergencies occur. 

Read on to learn more about the work UNICEF has done and will continue to do in Rwanda. 

Learn more about UNICEF’s emergency and resilience strategy

UNICEF health and nutrition programs in Rwanda

Access to adequate nutrition is essential for children to survive and thrive. Malnutrition not only leads to higher rates of mortality, it can also impact school performance and work capacity. Ultimately, this affects society as a whole, limiting the ability of younger generations to advance out of poverty and contribute to Rwanda’s development. 

To address malnutrition in children, as well as in pregnant and lactating women, UNICEF helps strengthen government systems to better plan, budget for, implement and monitor nutrition interventions. UNICEF also supports positive behavior change interventions, with activities like nutritious food and cooking demonstrations, nutrition education and improving family and nutrition habits. One example of this work is the #OneEggPerChildEveryDay campaign, which reached over 9 million people, boosting egg consumption among children aged 6–24 months. 

Between 2010 and 2020, the percentage of children in Rwanda living in severe food poverty fell more than one-third, with the support of UNICEF. In January 2024, the Rwandan government, UNICEF and partners launched the Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) program to provide 65,000 pregnant women with easy access to 15 essential vitamins and minerals. The program aims to improve maternal nutrition and reduce prenatal and birth complications like anemia, low birth weight, infant mortality and stillbirths.

According to a 2023 national survey, roughly 1 in 10 adolescents in Rwanda experience a mental health issue. Key contributors include refugee status, family conflicts, teenage pregnancy, HIV, sexual exploitation and poverty and abuse, among other factors.

UNICEF and partners support the government to build integrated and strong systems that provide vulnerable children and adolescents with tailored services to help them improve their mental health and embrace a brighter future. Through the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Program, more than 700 school counselors from over 350 schools have been equipped with skills in screening, counseling, referrals for treatment and appropriate follow-up of adolescents experiencing mental health challenges, benefiting more than 30,000 adolescents. 

UNICEF also plays a vital role in responding to public health emergencies in Rwanda. In 2024, there were outbreaks of mpox and Marburg Virus Disease. Mobilizing $4.5 million in resources, UNICEF ensured the distribution of Personal Prevention Equipment kits, surveillance and diagnostic tools and training for more than 60,000 community health workers. 

Learn more about UNICEF’s global nutrition programs

How UNICEF is helping to improve access to education in Rwanda

While 98 percent of children in Rwanda are enrolled in primary school, only about 70 percent complete their primary education. 

Classrooms are often extremely overcrowded, with an average of 62 students for every teacher, negatively impacting education quality. For children with disabilities, only about 70 percent of which are enrolled in primary school, additional challenges emerge with many schools lacking appropriate materials and access. 

UNICEF partners with the government of Rwanda to pursue inclusive, equitable and quality education for every child in Rwanda. In 2024 alone, UNICEF’s work contributed to improved learning outcomes for over 2 million children. 

One example of this work is the Teacher Management Information System, a national database developed by the Ministry of Education with UNICEF support, designed to enhance the management of the teaching workforce. UNICEF also helps develop teachers’ skills, so they can be better educators for children of all backgrounds. This includes providing the necessary materials and infrastructure for refugee children.

Since 2016, UNICEF has supported the Competency-Based Curriculum, which focuses on student-centered teaching methodology, including more participatory group work and individual learning plans. UNICEF also works to continually ensure that education policies are up-to-date and relevant, with a particular focus on ensuring that children with disabilities are included in policy decisions. 

To help more children with disabilities access education, UNICEF promotes inclusive education as a model of teaching and learning. Inclusive education is a form of teaching that uses physical accessibility, individual education plans, toys and teaching aids to support children with disabilities, ensuring that the needs of all students are met in the classroom. 

In 2019, UNICEF and the International Technology Union launched Giga, an initiative aimed at connecting every school to the Internet and every young person to information, opportunity and choice. In Rwanda, this has meant an increase in school internet access and laptops, allowing students to embrace the digital age. 

Learn more about UNICEF’s education programs for every child 

Learn more about early childhood development programs 

Learn more about UNICEF’s work to keep every child educated

How UNICEF is strengthening protections for children in Rwanda

Child violence is still a problem in Rwanda, with over 35 percent of all girls and six out of ten boys experiencing some form of violence during childhood. 

UNICEF works with the Rwandan government to strengthen the national child protection system. Some of this work includes: 

• establishing “one-stop centers” where victims can report violence, receive mental health counseling and access medical services
• building a workforce of professional social workers and psychologists, legal experts, police and almost 30,000 community child protection volunteers — known as “Inshuti z’Umuryango” or “Friends of the Family” — who help identify, refer and respond to cases of violence, abuse and neglect in their communities
• developing and launching a National Child Protection Case Management Framework to standardize and coordinate support
• de-institutionalizing by placing 90 percent of the more than 3,000 children who were in institutional care since 2012 in family care 

Protecting children from violence and abuse, and ensuring their access to essential services, begins with birth registration. With support from UNICEF, Rwanda is on course to achieve universal, free birth registration, with about 90 percent of births registered in 2023, up from 56 percent in 2015. 

Learn more about UNICEF’s child protection efforts

UNICEF's WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) efforts

Only a little over half the population in Rwanda has access to drinking water that is within 30 minutes of their home, and that water is not always safe to drink. And when there is a need to walk a far distance to fetch water, girls — who more often than boys tend to be responsible for household chores — are disproportionately affected. 

About 60 percent of Rwanda's population lacks access to their own household toilet, without having to share with another family, disproportionately affecting the poorest households. Similarly, just 5 percent of households in Rwanda have a place for family members to wash their hands with soap — which is crucial for maintaining good health, especially in children.

Since 2015, UNICEF has provided safe water supply to more than 600,000 people in the most rural areas of Rwanda. UNICEF also works with the government and partners to ensure that every household has a hygienic and private toilet and promotes the use of soap in handwashing. 

In pursuing these efforts, UNICEF is committed to finding and utilizing climate-friendly and resilient energy solutions, including solar-powered water systems. 

Approximately 17,000 people gained access to basic water supplies with UNICEF's help in 2024, while 51 learning centers were equipped with disability-sensitive sanitation facilities with UNICEF support. 

During the mpox and Marburg outbreaks that same year, UNICEF supported WASH emergency responses by installing handwashing stations at high-traffic points, serving about 5,000 people daily. 

Learn more about UNICEF’s water and sanitation programs 

Learn more about girls in Rwanda

How to help children in Rwanda

Supporters can help UNICEF reach more children in Rwanda and around the world with a one-time tax-deductible donation or monthly gift, by starting a fundraiser or by helping to advocate for children on social media. A contribution to UNICEF USA directly supports children's health, safety and empowerment.

Donate to UNICEF USA 

Ways to support UNICEF’s mission

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Frequently Asked Questions 

Why does UNICEF work in Rwanda? 

UNICEF works in Rwanda to address challenges such as child malnutrition, limited access to education, poverty and the long-term impacts of the 1994 genocide. UNICEF supports inclusive development and child protection throughout the country. 

What challenges do children in Rwanda face today? 

Children in Rwanda face high rates of stunting, limited access to clean water and healthcare, educational disparities and vulnerabilities from poverty, violence and social exclusion. 

How can I help children in Rwanda through UNICEF? 

You can donate to UNICEF, become a monthly supporter, or start a fundraiser. Your support helps deliver health care, education, clean water and protection for children in Rwanda and all vulnerable children around the world. 

What is UNICEF doing to improve education in Rwanda? 

UNICEF promotes access to quality education through teacher training, early childhood programs, digital learning initiatives and reducing dropout rates in underserved communities.