"Saul became Paul and will remain as such.” This is the mantra head by former drug addicts upon graduation from Iwawa Vocational Training and Rehabilitation Centre on Iwawa Island, Lake Kivu.

The latest batch of youths from the centre graduated on Saturday after spending one year on the island.

Byron Mutabazi, 24, a former drug addict, says he leaves the centre a transformed man.

The centre, run by the Ministry of Youth and ICT, has seen over 5,000 former drug addicts not only weaned off drugs, but also rehabilitated.

"I became addicted to drugs in 2005 when I was in senior one. At the time, it was due to peer pressure but the vice held later me in bondage for almost eight years,” said Mutabazi, who was among the over 1,980 graduates at the weekend.

Mutabazi says drug addiction greatly affected his education as he would change school every year after being expelled.

"I studied in many schools just because no head teacher would tolerate me because of my bad behaviour brought about by drugs,” he said.

"I was always drunk and high on drugs and I faced a lot of stigma from society. I would only find solace in hanging out with fellow drug abusers.”

When Mutabazi dropped out of school, he was offered a job as a waiter in one of Kigali’s popular bars but the job never lasted long.

"The vice had never died. I kept abusing drugs and sometimes I could miss work due to hangover. I was later fired,” he says.

The young man says he again took to drugs on "a full-time basis,” after he became jobless.

Road to Iwawa

In December 2013, the Police arrested Mutabazi along with fellow delinquents.

"We were arrested and detained at a police station, and my family pleaded with Police that they take me to Iwawa vocational training and rehabilitation centre,” Mutabazi says.

After they were driven from Kigali to Rubavu, Mutabazi and others later embarked on a journey to Iwawa Island, a three-hour boat-ride off the shores of Lake Kivu.

The drug addicts were put on a six-month rehabilitation exercise. They also received psychotherapy care needed for detoxication.

"We also learned how to respect each other. We have been blessed to have preachers from various churches who preach to us and some of us are now believers,” he says.

Mutabazi says he was lucky to have been taken to Iwawa as he acquired vocational skills that he believes will enable him create his own job and lead a better life.

His colleagues too say they have learnt a lot and are committed to leading better lives.

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