The Rwandan Alumni of Genocide Survivor Students’ Association body has recognized the students with bankable projects whose targets aspire to curtail the alarming health problems in Rwanda.

In the category of the Youth Innovators Awards, Pamella Uwicyeza, a student at UR-Nyagatare is among those who scooped the Best Student Innovator award at the University level.

Her project Horticulture Therapy Project borrows the old tradition of using nature and plan-based activity in rehabilitating and healing mental problems.

As a CAVM student, Pamella is enthusiastic about human healing and rehabilitation and the need to solve mental problems, particularly among the youth made inspire her to start the project.

“I’m pursuing agriculture courses but I decided to start the project which lies a bit outside my career in medical fields because I want to contribute to the welfare of people,” she told The Campus during an awarding ceremony.

“The project is still an idea but I want to make it livable when I get funding,” she added.

Students from Groly Academy represented by the Mudakikwa Shekinah also scooped a mental health award in the category of the Group Testimony with a project they called “We Evolve” which is intended to create nurturing and safe space in their community.

The project that is soon celebrating two years of operation and was inspired by the witnesses of fellow students battling mental health problems in silence, in which Mudakikwa and her schoolmates at Glory High School managed to come together to address mental health problems.

Among other categories, three journalists were recognized with award certificates and monetary prizes whose amount is soon to be disclosed.

The Newtimes, Patrick Nzabonimpa was among the best story writer whose written story outcompeted other 14 submissions in the same category.

 His story Activists Speak out on drivers of mental health issues among the youth” published on November 03, 2022, outcompeted other 14 stories in the same categories that have been submitted earlier.

Other two famous local journalists, Annie Marie NiweMwiza and Oswald Mutuyeyezu were also recognized.

The event that took place at Kigali Convention Centre themed The Role of Family in Promoting Wellbeing was graced by the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Prof. Jeanette Bayisenge where experts also discussed the role of women in contributing to wellness in Rwanda’s social fabric.

In its program of having ‘the world free of genocide,’ the student organizations launched various initiative challenge dubbed How the Genocide against the Tutsi has affected and still affect the mental health of Rwandans, which aimed at informing, educating, advocacy and ending stigma as well as promoting support seeking and inspire the sharing of the lived experience stories and reduce prejudices to mental health help-seeking.

GAERG reports estimates indicate close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year and it is regarded as the second cause of death in 12-29-year-olds globally by the year 2019.