Rwanda National Police

Police in Nyamasheke District, on February 10, conducted a sensitization campaign on child protection and to raise awareness against illicit drugs.

The campaign was held in Cyato Sector and will be extended to other sectors of the district.

Inspector of Police (IP) Philippe Abizeye, the District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO) for Nyamasheke, while addressing hundreds of residents of Cyato, said that protecting children include shielding them against illicit drugs.

Young people aged between 18 and 35 years account for about 70 percent of those engaged in drug related crimes.

The DCLO also tackled the issue of proper feeding of children, sending them to school, parental care and close monitoring of their children to prevent them from indulging in various malpractices.

“One of the challenges affecting youth development is drugs; many young people are becoming victims and as a result they are dropping out of school, engaging in other criminal tendencies like theft. Don’t let your neighbor destroy your children with psychotropic substances; report them,” IP Abizeye told Cyato residents.

He urged parents to ensure proper feeding of their children.

The 2018 Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis report identified Nyamasheke, Burera, Gicumbi, Gisagara, Nyaruguru, Ngororero and Rutsiro as the districts where cases of poor feeding remain high despite the overall 8 percent reduction in the whole country.

Rwanda Youth Volunteers in Community Policing, a youth group of over 260, 000 members across the country, is currently engaged in the drive to fight malnutrition and to supplement the national efforts against the problem.

They have so far constructed about 7000 organic gardens, locally known as akarima k’igikoni across the country for identified vulnerable families.