REPUBLIC OF RWANDANATIONAL REHABILITATION SERVICE

Gitagata Rehabilitation Centre (GRC) located in the Eastern Province, Bugesera District, Musenyi Sector, is a rehabilitation centre established by the Government of Rwanda in 1975 to rehabilitate male street children under 18 years old who exhibit deviant behaviours. In 2017, the Government of Rwanda took a decision to upgrade it so that it also accommodates female delinquents.

Therefore, to date the centre admits people from transit centers in the following categories:

1. Females aged of at least eighteen (18) years;  
2. Young girls aged of at least ten (10) years but not yet attained eighteen (18) years;
3. Young boys aged of at least ten (10) years old but not yet attained eighteen (18) years.

Each category has its separate accommodation place.

To date, GRC has the capacity to shelter 500 boys and 500 female delinquents per intake. Therefore,from June 2019 GRC accommodates over 300 boys and over 250 female delinquents for their rehabilitation process.

Male street children and female delinquents admitted in GRC are given by the State all related needs, including, accommodation, food, medical care, clothing and all other basic needs required in his or her daily life.  They are also provided with rehabilitation services (psycho-social and medical treatment).

Besides rehabilitation services, those under 18 years old receive formal education services (they are taken back to school) and as soon as they are completely rehabilitated, they are reunified with their families to ensure their full reintegration in the society, while female delinquents of over 18 years will be provided with Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses like Tailoring, Hair Dressing and Culinary Art. These TVET Courses will be provided to female delinquents to help them create employment once reintegrated in the society.

Persons who complete rehabilitation programs in GRC are handed over to District authorities of their place of origin, in order to take them back to their families.   However, a person transferred to the Centre who shows tangible signs of change of conduct, may be handed over to the District authorities of origin before the end of the planned programs. 

From 2012 to January 2019, a total of 1,307 street children have been rehabilitated at GRC and reunified with their families.

GRC is regulated by the Presidential Order N° 100/01 of 02/06/2018 establishing Gitagata Rehabilitation Center.

Rehabilitation services provided to delinquents admitted at GRC:

1. Individual therapy
2. Group therapy
3. Psychoeducation
4. Ergo therapy
5. Family therapy
6. Formal Education (For boys and girls under 18 years old)
7. Religious and sports activities

Health care services provided to delinquents admitted at GRC:

1. General medicine
2. Dental & eye treatment, etc.

Educational programs provided to persons admitted in GRC:

1. National programs
2. Dangers of indulging in deviant acts
3. Values and Taboos of Rwandan culture
4. Job creation strategies
5. Benefits of using own strength and skills for self-development

TVET coursesprovided to female delinquents admitted at GRC

1. Tailoring
2.  Hair Dressing
3. Culinary Art,

Iwawa Rehabilitation Center is one of three rehabilitation centers of the National Rehabilitation Service. IRC islocated on Iwawa Island of Kivu Lake, in Boneza Sector of Rutsiro District, Western Province.

IRC was established by the Government of Rwanda in 2010 with a mandate to rehabilitate male delinquents of over 18 years old who exhibit deviant behaviours. It is established by the Presidential Order N° 99/01 of 02/06/2018.

The main mission of Iwawa Rehabilitation Centre is to rehabilitate male delinquents from across the country so that they stop drug consumption or any other deviant behaviour, equip them with vocational and hands on skills that help them integrate in the community and participate in the social- economic and political development of Rwanda.

To date, IRC has the capacity to accommodate 4,000 male delinquents per year but activities to upgrade it so that it accommodates 6,000 delinquents per year are underway.

Persons admitted at IRC are given by the State all related needs, including, accommodation, food, medical care clothing and all other basic needs required in his or her daily life.

People admitted at IRC benefit from rehabilitation services (psychosocial and medical treatment) and Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses like carpentry, masonry, tailoring, agriculture, crop production with literacy and numeracy, motorcycle driving and other crosscutting courses under the lead of the Workforce Development Authority (WDA).

Counselling sessions, special health care and vocational skills provided to people admitted at IRC enable them to leave the centre with positive values, get employment and play an active role in the social economic development of our country.

Persons who complete rehabilitation programs in the Center are handed over to the District authorities of their place of origin, to take them back to their families.   However, a person transferred to the Center who shows tangible signs of change of conduct, may be handed over to the District authorities of origin before the end of the planned programs.

From 2011 to September 2019, around 21,614 people have been rehabilitated and provided with TVET skills at Iwawa Rehabilitation Centre as well as facilitated to reintegrate in the community. 

Rehabilitation services provided to delinquents admitted at IRC:

1.      Individual therapy

2.      Group therapy

3.      Psychoeducation

4.      Ergo therapy

5.      Family therapy

6.      Religious and sports activities

Health care services provided to persons admitted in IRC:

           1.      General medicine

           2.      Male circumcision

           3.      Dental & eye treatment in partnership with Rwanda Military Hospital

Educational programs provided to persons admitted in IRC:

          1.      National programs

          2.      Dangers of indulging in deviant acts

          3.      Values and Taboos of Rwandan culture

          4.      Job creation strategies

          5.      Benefits of using own strength and skills for self-development

TVET coursesprovided to persons admitted in IRC:

         1.      Carpentry

         2.      Masonry

         3.      Tailoring

         4.      Agriculture

         5.      Literacy to illiterate youth

         6.      Driving Motorcycle

Nyamagabe Rehabilitation Center (NRC) is a rehabilitation center located in the Southern Province, Nyamagabe District, Gatare Sector. It is established by the Presidential Order nº 101/01 of 02/06/2018.

The Center admits only males with at least eighteen (18) years of age from the established transit centers. Male delinquents admitted at NRC benefit from rehabilitation services (psychosocial and medical treatment) and Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses like Welding, Domestic Electricity, Crop Production and Masonry to help them reintegrate in the society after their graduation from NRC.

Persons admitted at the Center are also given by the State all related needs, including, accommodation, food, medical care, clothing and all other basic needs required in his or her daily life.

NRC have the capacity to accommodate 2000 male delinquents of over 18 years old for their rehabilitation process.

Persons who complete rehabilitation programs in the Centre are handed over to the District authorities of their place of origin, to take them back to their families.   However, a person transferred to the Centre who shows tangible signs of change of conduct, may be handed over to the District authorities of origin before the end of the planned programs.

From June 2019, Nyamagabe Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) accommodates around 1,500 people for their rehabilitation process.

Rehabilitation services provided to delinquents admitted at NRC:

1.      Individual therapy

2.      Group therapy

3.      Psychoeducation

4.      Ergo therapy

5.      Family therapy

6.      Religious activities

Health care services provided to delinquents admitted at NRC:

       1.   General medicine

       2.   Male circumcision

       3.   Dental & eye treatment in partnership with Rwanda Military Hospital

Educational programs provided to persons admitted in NRC:

       1.      National programs

       2.      Dangers of indulging in deviant acts

       3.      Values and Taboos of Rwandan culture

       4.      Job creation strategies

       5.      Benefits of using own strength and skills for self-development

TVET coursesprovided to delinquents admitted at NRC:

      1.      Welding

      2.      Domestic Electricity

      3.      Crop Production

      4.      Masonry

For more information about the functioning of Rehabilitation Centres, please read the Presidential Order nº 101/01 of 02/06/2018 establishing Gitagata, Iwawa and Nyamagabe Rehabilitation Center  here.