Nyarugenge: Club Rafiki-Kanyinya reminds communities to remain keen on positive parenting

Elias Hakizimana Sep 16, 2023 0 Comments

By Elias Hakizimana.

As the holidays come to an end, officials of the youth friendly center, Club Rafiki-Nyamirambo has on Friday, September 15, 2023, visited the parents of children who benefit from its urban dance program in Kanyinya sector, Nyarugenge district to monitor the impacts of moral education.

The initiative dubbed: ‘INTORE MU BIRUHUKO’ is one of the Club Rafiki’s programs to help children foster the discipline and to stay connected with moral education such as dancing, sport and gaming, music and health education especially Family Planning education and how they can prevent unwanted/early pregnancies.

One of the messages delivered to the parents is to continue being close to children and help them to enjoy both moral and academic education.

Stephanie Alamba, Executive Director and Legal Representative of Club Rafiki explains that the visit aimed at evaluating the behaviours of children during the holidays and advising communities to remain keen on positive parenting.

**Stephanie Alamba, Executive Director and Legal Representative of Club Rafiki interacting with parents whom the majority are women.**

She says the Club encourages both moral and academic education through strong collaboration with the parents.

“We all work together to ensure our goal is attained, when a child get bad marks in class, we join efforts with his/her parents to help him/her improve in his/her academic performance, because academic performance comes the first, then moral education as a supplement,” Mrs. Alamba says.

“In the clubs, we take time to talk to children about some important life skills subjects such as Family Planning, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), preventing unwanted pregnancies and drug abuse as well as juvenile delinquency, to prepare them for.” she adds.

The urban dance moral education and parents’ support

Stephanie Mukadisi, the mother whose two sons are the members of the Urban Dance-Kanyinya says her children have benefited a lot from Club Rafiki’s Urban Dance program.

“My sons Mugisha is the founder of Urban Dance Club, who also got an idea to found this branch here at G.S Kanyinya, Mugisha and his younger brother Tuyishime gained discipline through the club and they combine such a moral education with academic performance. As their parent, I support them by encouraging them to continue in a positive way, I give them time to talk and advise them accordingly,” Mukadisi says.

***Stephanie Mukadisi, the mother whose two sons are the members of the Urban Dance in G.S Kanyinya.***

Félicien Mugambage, the father of a 17-year-old son who is starting Senior 2, testifies how Music and Dance is helpful to his child. His support as a parent is to get close and hear from the child. “My son used to be at home, playing from home but it is almost a year since he joined Urban Dance, and he dances for us and makes us happy. My role is to get closer to him and I let him go to learn such moral skills and to warn him once he attempts embracing negative behaviours, I remember when he used to be in a group of smokers, I warned him and he abandoned them. Now he leaves home to the urban dance and from there at home,” Mugambage says.

Jean Aime Habanabakize, History Teacher and Mentor of Urban Dance children at G.S Kanyinya reiterates that parents’ mindset towards children’s moral education has drastically changed as they could before prevent them from joining such clubs, thinking that they are instead participating to negative activities.

“Parents now trust their children are safe when they come here, their participation in the Urban Dance Club increased from 20 to around 100 children from 2016-2023,” Habanabakize says.

All the parents who participated in the discussions were given gifts including women textiles (kitenge), soaps and toilet papers.