KIGALI - Stakeholders have set aside Rwf314.5m for the construction of a rehabilitation centre for juveniles in Nyagatare District, Eastern Province.

This was revealed yesterday in a meeting between the National Prisons Service (NPS), DIDE (Dignité en Détention), a Geneva-based NGO that supports minors in various programmes, and other stakeholders.

Speaking at meeting, Mary Gahonzire, the Commissioner General of NPS, said that cooperation with DIDE started way back in 2006 when they started the construction of a functional minor’s prison in Gitarama.

"This is an important step in the realization of the long awaited project of Nyagatare Rehabilitation Centre, and overall, better welfare for our children,” she said.
She added that the construction of the centre is in line with the government’s vision of providing safe and healthy environment to detainees and protecting minors.

"The centre will provide psychological support and education for minors who are found on the wrong side of the law,” Gahonzire noted.

The centre has the capacity to accommodate 480 minors
She revealed that the construction of the centre will involve several stakeholders; NPS, DIDE and UNICEF and other local partners like Enfant Chez Soi.

Philippe Pasquier, the president of DIDE, pledged full cooperation with NPS to ensure that centre becomes a model, not for the entire region, but for the whole world.

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