A Chance for Childhood in Rwanda

A Chance for Childhood with comedian Milton Jones in Rwanda

When I first set up my business as a freelance wedding photographer, I wanted to ensure that I made time in my schedule to volunteer on humanitarian projects. I recently had the privilege of visiting Rwanda for the second time with the UK-based charity Chance for Childhood, this time alongside comedian Milton Jones.

Milton is one of the patrons of the charity and I spent six days with him and the Chance for Childhood staff, volunteering my time and skills to photograph the ongoing projects so that the charity would have some fresh images for their fund-raising material as well as providing vital visual evidence of the hardships faced by the communities we visited.

About Chance for Childhood

The charity works in harsh environments where violence and poverty rob thousands of young people of their childhoods and forces them to grow up much too quickly. Many have already lived chaotic lives where a loving  home and a good education are just pipe dreams.

Their projects support vulnerable children in Brazil, D.R. Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia, working with young people who face daily hardships. They are committed to protecting, educating and sustaining care. The young people of Rwanda were the focus for this particular project.

About Rwanda – The land of a thousand hills

Rwanda is a beautiful country. What may surprise you from these photos, is the lush green and mountainous terrain, which is not what may spring to mind when one visualises Africa.

It is a country which has suffered from war and genocide, as recently as 1994, but there are signs of economic recovery, with tourism increasing. What we found was a country in need, but, judging by the stories recounted by many, one that is slowly recovering from its past.

Overcoming stigma

Deafness and disability has long been stigmatised in Rwanda, and the charity is working tirelessly to support families with disabled children. We met a child with cerebral palsy who had been abandoned as a baby in a sack, at the side of a road. A local family adopted him, despite the poverty they were living through then, and still endure daily. We met children with other severe and moderate learning difficulties, who, Chance for Childhood are protecting and educating.

Despite this hardship, during our week there, we witnessed incredibly positive scenes and it was humbling to see how the assistance provided by the charity is improving the lives and living conditions of so many people and enabling them to get an education.

How can you help?

Inevitably, the charity needs financial support and I was able to take over many generous donations of clothes, sanitary towels, stationery, toothpaste etc. Many of my friends and family also made monetary donations, all of which will make a huge difference to these people’s lives.

If you’d like to donate, Chance for Childhood and the Rwandan people would be incredibly grateful.

Any sum, no matter how small, helps. Here are some examples of how far a relatively small sum of money can stretch:

• £15 could pay for three days of vital outreach work to find and protect vulnerable street children.

• £40 will buy a pig, which will be bred and the piglets traded with other villagers. 

• 50p for a guinea pig, which will be used for food. 

• £5 for a chicken which will produce eggs, a vital source of much-needed protein.

• £15 for a goat, used for food and also for manure to fertilise the soil to help grow fruit and vegetables.

• £100 could pay for two years of educational support for a girl at risk of prostitution.

• £50 could provide a week of trauma counselling to help a former child soldier rebuild their life.

But what shocked me the most is that £3 is sufficient to buy health insurance for one person for an entire year. Yes, £3 for an entire year.

You can donate by clicking the link below – Thank you:

DONATE HERE

A heartfelt thank you!

I wanted to thank everyone who donated the many items that I took over to Rwanda, as well as those who made monetary donations to the charity. You have helped to make the world a better place, thank you.

Thanks to Connie, Anna-mai, Innocent, Jacqueline, Louis and everyone from Chance for Childhood in the UK and worldwide. Plus our driver, interpreters and guides who worked alongside us – Thank you.

Thanks to Milton Jones and his family, it was an absolute pleasure to work alongside you. I’ll see you on tour at the Lowry theatre in Salford next year.

Thank you to Jean Chris Kitoko, a Rwanda-based videographer and photographer whom I had the pleasure of working alongside during the trip.

And finally I want to thank my wife, children and the rest of my family & friends who support me on these journeys.

Peace is free

Steve x

All images are © Steve Grogan Photography.

Words by Steve Grogan and Get Pro Copy.