Rwanda National Police

A total of 2,001 youth on Saturday, August 1, completed more than a year of rehabilitation at Iwawa Rehabilitation Centre in Rutsiro District, where they underwent behavioural change programmes and vocational training to prepare for reintegration into their families and communities.

The youth had previously been involved in activities that undermined public safety and community wellbeing, including violence, vagrancy, theft and drug abuse. At the centre, they received civic education and training in Rwandan values, discipline and integrity, alongside practical skills in carpentry, masonry, mechanics, modern agriculture and tailoring, as well as road safety and driving.

They also applied their skills in practical work, including constructing kitchens, toilets and bathrooms at the centre, for which they were paid.

The closing ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Local Government, Dominique Habimana, alongside the Inspector General of Police (IGP) CG Felix Namuhoranye, the Director General of the National Rehabilitation Service (NRS), Fred Mufulukye, Western Province Governor Jean Bosco Ntibitura and other officials.

Minister Habimana urged the youth to use the skills acquired to rebuild their lives and contribute to their families and the country, while encouraging them to seek employment and engage in productive activities.

"The vocational skills you have shown us today should be put into practice to develop yourselves, your families and the country in general. You have the strength, and you should use it to do positive things that will help you build a better future," Minister Habimana said.

He assured them that local authorities would continue to support them and urged them to distance themselves from former peers who could influence them to return to harmful behaviours.

"If you think of something to do but feel you cannot achieve it, approach the authorities. They are ready to support you," he said.

CG Namuhoranye urged the youth to put into practice the discipline and values acquired at the centre, assuring them of continued support from the Rwanda National Police.

"The values and discipline you say you have learned and acquired here will now have to be put into practice outside the centre. That is where we will see whether you have truly learned them," IGP Namuhoranye said.

He also called on them to contribute to efforts against harmful alcoholic beverages and illicit brews, noting that authorities are committed to addressing the problem and protecting communities from their effects.

Nayituriki Jacques, one of the rehabilitated youth, shared his experience of drug abuse and rehabilitation at Iwawa, urging his fellow graduates to use the skills acquired to engage in productive work, noting that drugs remain a challenge outside the centre.

Iwawa Rehabilitation Centre supports individuals in changing harmful behaviours, acquiring practical skills and reintegrating into their families and communities. It currently accommodates nearly half of the more than 8,317 people undergoing rehabilitation across the country's rehabilitation centres.

Statistics show that about 95 per cent of those undergoing rehabilitation had previously been involved in drug abuse and excessive alcohol consumption.