Education: Religious and church movements reduce drug use

Compassion International Donates Funds to House Those in Need

As Gakuba Emmanuel, Compassion International’s coordinator in Rwanda, told Kigali today, “During the event, we visited more than 5,000 families in 11 districts of the region, where they discussed the need to build peace and avoid conflict, and some of them decided to make changes.

He said, “We visited 5,352 families and most of them were reconciled, like the meeting held in Kaluganda, including the families that were reconciled in that meeting, four families that had been separated, we made them reconcile and allowed them to use animals, they also provided support and took in one of the poor families and found that these families lived together, one to the east and one to the west, they came together and reconciled.”

The campaign aims to curb drug use

Gakuba said some of the children who had dropped out of school decided to return to school and the church also decided to help them get tuition and supplies. He said 2,000 people accepted Jesus Christ, while 397 people repented and gave themselves up.

He said, “They will no longer fight with Gitifu and DASSO, dear police representative, you will no longer fight with them in transit, they are saved”.

Gakuba Emmanuel said that what prompted them to organize this movement as members of the Compassion Family was that they believed that drugs were one of the things that could harm the youth and children they help and their goal is to be a voice for the children and help them to be free from the bad habits that lead to poverty.

Gakuba Emmanuel, Compassion International Rwanda Coordinator

When you see that those involved in drugs are mostly young people, they enslave them and start taking children by force, beating and injuring them, you find that the children are not producing the results that the state expects.

The event, themed “Jesus will also free you from the bondage of drugs” and drawing on the Bible verse in John 8:36: “Therefore, children and those who dwell among you, you will be real residents”, was organized as part of the fight against drugs and the fight against unwanted teenage pregnancies.

At the end of the event, at a meeting organized in Cyanika district on Saturday, August 17, 2024, most drug addicts expressed their determination to quit drugs based on the testimonies of drug addicts. Upward.

People are determined to work with different agencies to fight drugs

Pastor Mugabo Venust, whose testimony touched the hearts of many, said that in running, he escaped from his parents and fled the rural village to Kigali where he learned different crafts until he started an illegal wine factory called Muriture.

When the security agencies were looking for him, he left Kigali and returned to his home in the rural area, where all the bad habits he had learnt in Kigali, such as illegal alcohol making, he moved to the rural area to escape the security agencies hunting him.

After misleading young people, he said he turned to a meeting he once attended, entered salvation until he became a pastor and is now an evangelist helping the government fight drugs.

Police representatives said at the end of the event that drugs are decreasing in the Brera district

After these lectures, people, including those addicted to drugs, decided to give up and allow the government to cooperate in completely eradicating drugs in the Brela area.

Bizimana Déo said: “I am one of those who are addicted to drugs, before I drank, I lost my mind, but this sport helped me and now I am completely free, drugs are very bad after you drink them, they make you a slave, to completely quit them, it is difficult to find a long-term attitude, now I am separated from them after these lectures”.

A pregnant teenager said, “I quit drugs because I hate drinking. I don’t know when I got pregnant. Now I am determined to help the government fight drugs.”

Burera is a drug-infested area, especially Kanyanga

The mayor of the Burela district, Mukamana Soline, confirmed that the district’s efforts to combat drugs will become history in the district.

He said: “We are seeing a significant reduction in drugs in the Brela district compared to the situation in the past. We want drugs to become history in the district and this goal is being achieved through the people, security agencies, religions and churches.”

Mayor Mukamana said one of the factors hindering the district’s commitment and its development is drugs because the district is rich in food, which the Head of State criticised when he presented the 2021 commitment after the district became the last district.

During the campaign, many people were determined to change

He said drug users who put money into the scheme find their families at risk of poverty, drug users are arrested and jailed and continue to be a problem for their families.

Data from the Chanika Police Station showed that in the last two months, the number of drug users has decreased due to different campaigns and the cooperation of people who stood up to help security agencies and started reporting on time.

This is a meeting attended by many leaders

This was a meeting that helped a lot of people.

After learning how to build peace and avoid conflict, the community played a game