Parliament has urged the government to increase awareness campaigns on the benefits of exercising regularly as a means to maintain both physical and mental health.

The call was made by legislators in the Lower House, yesterday, following a consultative meeting on "nutrition and sports” as the lawmakers sought to understand how the country’s policies on sports and leisure are implemented.

The legislators noted that there are still many Rwandans who don’t exercise regularly because they don’t have the habit, lack where to exercise from, or simply shy away from doing it due to some cultural norms.

To reverse the situation, the MPs recommended that the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion intensifies campaigns to sensitise Rwandans about the health benefits of exercising, the Ministry of Local Government to ensure that there is a place to exercise in every cell, and for the Ministry of Sports and Culture to identify children with sports talents so they can be empowered.

Among other recommendations is also the need for the government to increase funding to build sports infrastructure in different parts of the country.

The legislators also committed themselves to following-up more closely on how the country’s policies on sports and leisure are implemented.

"As legislators we need to play a role in the implementation of the government’s policies on sports and leisure.

Let’s work together to help implement what is outlined in our country’s policies and let’s exercise more too,” Speaker Donatille Mukabalisa said.

At the centre of the efforts to turn exercising regularly into a habit, the legislators emphasised that the government should target educating those who are still young about the benefits of sports so they can grow up with the habit.

"We need to start building sports spirit right from among children. Playgrounds in schools need to be used by students instead of being turned into gardens for flowers,” said MP Thacienne Mukandamage.

Schools tasked on facilities

MP Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi agreed, insisting that schools need to ensure that children have a place to play and the government inspects if the requirement is adhered to.

"We need to assess how well we are facilitating our schoolchildren to exercise,” he said.

The MPs’ discussions on sports were held in line with their ongoing work to understand the country’s efforts to promote the habit of exercising and also assess a new bill in Parliament that will regulate the sports and leisure industry.

The Minister for Sports and Culture, Julienne Uwacu, said government is committed to promoting sports and urged citizens to adopt the habit of exercising given the associated health benefits.

"There is a political will to promote sports but it’s up to the people on a personal level to allocate time off their daily schedules for sports,” she said.

The government’s policy is for all public servants to take a Friday afternoon off their work schedule to go and exercise but Uwacu said, yesterday, that all institutions need to work together to increase campaigns about exercising.

"For sports to be promoted, all institutions in the country need to work together,” she told journalists yesterday shortly after participating in the consultative meeting at Parliament.

Apart from being a means of entertainment and socialising with other people, experts say that exercising regularly is also one of the best ways to prevent many chronic diseases such as heart attacks, respiratory diseases, and diabetes.

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