Kigali: Members of Rwanda Youth Volunteers in Community Policing (RYVCP) in Nyanza District have pledged to strengthen the cooperation with Rwanda National Police (RNP) to raise awareness on safety practices against Coronavirus pandemic.
They made the commitment Tuesday, in a meeting of 28 heads of the youth group from different sectors of Nyanza district. It was conducted in line with the recommended safety guidelines of social distancing, wearing face masks and washing hands before entering the meeting room.
The meeting aimed at laying firm strategies in this period to ensure mass campaign against the virus in communities and in busy public places, according to Aline Murekatete, the district youth coordinator.
She expressed the willingness of youth volunteers in the district to work with the police and local authorities to implement the government guidelines to end the pandemic.
“We are still young and our voice in our respective communities can reinforce in educating the people on best and safety practices,” said Murekatete.
“This was like recommitting ourselves in that line to work with our police to remind and educate people on how to positively behave and fight against COVID-19. We are going to use public communication systems to deliver messages but also reporting those whose actions contravene the directives,” she added.
She noted that the campaign will be extended to people in trading centres, markets to influence the same understanding and to work together to be safe.
Disregarding the directives and recommended healthy practices, she said, can put people’s lives at risk, and “we will not be bystanders.”
The District Political and Civic Education Officer (DPCEO), Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Jean Baptiste Nyirishema, who attended the meeting, thanked the youth for their volunteerism spirit in security, health and development activities.
“Some people still do not understand the importance of respecting directives or ignore them intentionally. Wearing face masks, social distancing, washing hands at all times; these are directed practices that are still breached. We are working with the youth volunteers so that they can be where police officers cannot be,” AIP Nyirishema said.
“Youth volunteers are many; they can effectively and efficiently deliver the message of obeying the set directives. They deliver the messages in many places like markets or trade centers, taxi parks and in other public places. The messages they give reach to many people,” he explained.
The youth volunteers in different parts of the country are actively engaged in awareness campaign on COVID-19 and supplementing the national efforts against the pandemic.
The youth group, which started in 2013, currently has over 300, 000 members across the country. (End)