{"id":2000121669,"date":"2026-08-06T12:58:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T10:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000121669"},"modified":"2026-08-06T12:44:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T10:44:49","slug":"minister-bizimana-urges-youth-to-embrace-healthy-lifestyles-amid-concerns-over-alcohol-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/minister-bizimana-urges-youth-to-embrace-healthy-lifestyles-amid-concerns-over-alcohol-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"Minister Bizimana urges youth to embrace healthy lifestyles amid concerns over alcohol abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The minister made the remarks as Rwanda prepares to celebrate Umuganura, the annual harvest festival observed on the first Friday of August, saying the occasion should not only be a time to celebrate achievements but also reflect on measures needed to prevent society from regressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a message shared on his X account, Dr. Bizimana said Rwandans should appreciate the progress they have made while also looking at challenges that could threaten future development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCelebrating our achievements requires us to also consider what can prevent us from moving backwards, because those who contribute to development are healthy and strong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He warned that Rwanda is increasingly affected by the consumption of harmful alcoholic beverages, especially among young people, as well as other behaviours he described as damaging to individuals and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, we are facing an epidemic of people producing and consuming harmful alcoholic drinks that damage the health of Rwandans. We are facing alcoholism among the youth, drug abuse, prostitution, immorality and other behaviours that devalue people, while there is a lack of guidance from elders who should tell them: \u2018Stop, abandon these harmful practices,\u2019\u201d Dr. Bizimana said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called on Rwandans to use Umuganura as an opportunity to collectively fight against practices that threaten people\u2019s wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet Umuganura become a moment when we rise together and reject these harmful practices. Bad behaviours are destroying lives in the Rwanda of Kanyarwanda. Together, through our shared commitment, let us say: \u2018Enough is enough; we reject them,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister urged young people to prioritise healthy lifestyles, saying a healthy population is the foundation for personal and national development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThrough one united voice, young men and women should say: \u2018We are committed to living healthy lives because that is the source of our prosperity and development, as well as that of Rwanda. We will avoid the dangers of alcohol, drunkenness, drug abuse, immoral behaviour, self-destruction and anything that diminishes our dignity,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warning comes after the Ministry of Health revealed that during the first six months of 2026, about 500 people sought medical treatment in different health facilities after consuming substandard alcoholic drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among them, 100 suffered permanent blindness, more than 50 died, while over 11,000 people were reported to have developed addiction linked to the consumption of such drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda has since taken measures to address the issue, including closing several factories producing substandard alcoholic beverages that posed health risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 50 types of imported alcoholic drinks were also removed from the Rwandan market over quality concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Minister Dr. Jean Damasc\u00e8ne Bizimana has reminded Rwandans that celebrating Umuganura should go hand in hand with promoting positive values and responsible choices.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwanda\u2019s Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Dr. Jean Damasc\u00e8ne Bizimana, has warned that the country is facing growing challenges linked to alcohol abuse, drug-related behaviours, prostitution and other practices he said are undermining the values of society, calling on elders to take a stronger role in guiding young people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000121670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000121669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-37","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000121670,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/bizi-9-351ae.jpg","alt":"","caption":"Minister Dr. Jean Damasc\u00e8ne Bizimana has reminded Rwandans that celebrating Umuganura should go hand in hand with promoting positive values and responsible choices.","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":667,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/bizi-9-351ae.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/bizi-9-351ae.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/bizi-9-351ae.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/bizi-9-351ae.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/bizi-9-351ae.jpg","width":1000,"height":667}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000121669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000121669"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000121669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000121671,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000121669\/revisions\/2000121671"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000121670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000121669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000121669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000121669"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000121669"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000121669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}