How long do children go to school in Rwanda?
As early as the late 19th century, Catholic missionaries in particular were building a school system in Rwanda. It largely corresponds to the Belgian school system. A reform took place in 1979 and compulsory schooling for up to 15 years was introduced. By law, children should attend school up to this age. But the reality is often different.
In Rwanda, children start school at the age of seven and go to primary school for six years. This is followed by three years in an intermediate level. These schools don’t cost anything. Only then do parents have to pay school fees for their children.
Many children drop out of school prematurely
A large proportion of the children go to school. But 400,000 children in Rwanda do not attend school at all or drop out of school prematurely. Only every second child finishes school.
For some children it is a long way to school, they walk there and back for more than an hour. A teacher teaches an average of 70 children in one class. But the government is aware of the need for education. There are efforts to introduce computers into schools.
Family in Rwanda
Many families in Rwanda are large families. So the children never get bored. If they don’t have a lot of toys, they almost always have one thing: playmates. And they are actually much more important.
The reputation of women grows with the number of children. You also have to do the main work. They plant the food, cook and care for the children. Women are not that popular in public, they should stay within the family. Nevertheless, there are many more women in the Rwandan parliament than in any other country in the world.
Children often look after their siblings
In Rwanda, a country located in Africa according to mysteryaround, children have to help with the household. They are mostly responsible for transporting water: they fill water and often bring it home over long distances. Many children don’t know what it’s like to just turn on a tap and water flows out of it.
Children also look after their siblings. In the worst case, they are orphans because their parents died of AIDS and they then have to look after their younger siblings. There are many households in Rwanda that are run by children. This means that the children have no adults by their side to support them. They also help with the harvest and work on the tea, sugar or rice plantations. There are also children who have to work in mines and quarries or take care of the transport of bricks. It’s far too hard work for kids.
Even today – many years after the genocide in Rwanda – children are still living on the streets. They steal or take drugs to survive.
But there are also many aid organizations that try to help these children. They should go to school, do an apprenticeship and, above all, find people who will help them. There are many examples of this as well. The government is also trying to take action against child labor in Rwanda. Child labor is legally prohibited, but often there are simply too few people who control it and ultimately enforce it.
What do the people of Rwanda eat?
In a poor country like Rwanda, food is more important for survival than a luxury food. That is why the cuisine of the country is usually simple but nutritious, because often many mouths have to be filled.
The most important food in Rwanda is plantain. A porridge is cooked from these, which is used as a basis for many foods and dishes. By the way, unlike the bananas you can buy from us, plantains are not sweet at all. There is also a corn porridge, which is also part of the daily meal in many African countries.
The banana or corn mash is usually accompanied by a sauce that is often made from different types of vegetables. Meat can also be included, but very few Rwandans can afford meat, so most of them are satisfied with vegetables.
Cassava is an important vegetable in Rwanda and is processed in different forms. Typical of Rwanda is a dish called isombe, made from the chopped leaves of the cassava plant. There is often also dried fish. The same is true of Ubugali, which is a porridge made from boiled cassava root flour. A simple sauce is also served.
Due to the favorable climate, a lot of fruit is grown in Rwanda, which then comes fresh on the table. You can buy and enjoy mangoes, papayas, pineapples, passion fruit and bananas almost everywhere in the markets.
Coffee and tea are grown in Rwanda, but mostly for export. So you don’t get to try the national coffee or tea that often.
