The genocide in Rwanda left around one hundred thousand children working on the land to achieve some form of living without adults around them to guide and assist or free them up so they can attend any form of education, so vital to their future.

Today it is estimated that one out of every five children in Rwanda is either an orphan or has been abandoned, one of the world's highest percentages of orphans. These Rwanda orphans did not just lose their families, but have life long scars with 96% of children interviewed stating that they had witnessed violence and a troubling 60% stating that they did not care if they ever grew up.

Compounding this is the half million girls who were systematically raped pushing up levels of AIDS infection cascading down to their children. Below are a few charities that you can contact to sponsor a child in Rwanda. If you work with children in Rwanda tell us about your work here.

www.worldvision.org
www.actionaid.org.uk
www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk
www.plan-uk.org

There are also some other charities who work with communities in Rwanda:

www.oxfam.org.uk
www.unicef.org