In the wake to reduce a growing number of the unwanted pregnancies and drug among teenagers, members of youth council in Gasabo district and Private University student’s Union of Rwanda (PUSU-R) have organized a campaign among fellow school and university students by using sports.

According to the release accessed by The Campus, the campaigns geared by the two youth-based institutions seek to mitigate the numbers of unwanted pregnancies among teenagers that are usually coupled with drug abuse, uproot the culture of silence and curbing down the related cases that go unreported.

Through this campaign, the speeches exposing negative effects of teenage pregnancies will be delivered at the sports venues during first half’s and at the end of games.

Universite Libre de Kigali (ULK) and Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) are among the hosts of these games slated on 02 June and 9 June.  

Evariste Murwanashyaka, the Chairperson, Private University student’s Union of Rwanda (PUSU-R) told The Campus that youths and university were sought as the best persons to pass the message among the fellows.

“At the universities and schools that’s where you will find drug abusers and all those cases of teenage pregnancies and by using people of the same age, the message will be received well and smoothly,” he said.

“The sports will be played into knock-outs and the winning university teams will again meet in finals to compete for the cash prizes.” Murwanashyaka adds.

The campaign according to Murwanashyaka is expected to reach 3000 school and school youths.

According to organizers, different officials and invited guests and spectators will gather at the playground, where they will deliver their speeches to the university students.

On other hand, Fabrice Niyonshuti, the vice-coordinator, Rwanda Youth Council, says university students start using drugs when they reach the university and therefore the  campaign has to target them.  

"A number of students start using drugs and involve into bad acts especially when they go away from their parents and relatives which later becomes a loss for both the nation and state," he adds.

Only University students with student’s cards will play the games, in which normal rules and regulations governing other international sports are to follow according to the release.

The winning team will get a trophy and an envelope of Rwf300,000 and Rwf200,000 and the third team will get Rwf180,000.

It is expected that UNILAK, ULK, UoK and AUCA will participate in this games.

The 2019-2020 Demographic and Health Survey show that more than 100,000 teenagers have given birth since 2017.