Burundi Government and UNICEF assess impact of interventions for children during joint mission
The mission, which took place from 25 to 28 March 2024 in the provinces of Ngozi, Kirundo and Muyinga, was coupled with a retreat for the focal points of the sectoral ministries that are members of the Technical Monitoring Group
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“UNICEF's support, in the form of oxygen therapy equipment and, above all, oxygen production units, comes as a relief to the hospital and its patients,” says the Director of Ngozi Regional Hospital. He was speaking to a delegation of UNICEF staff and government representatives, led by Ambassador Gaudence Sindayigaya, Director General in charge of Multilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation.
Their visit is part of the joint missions that the Government of Burundi, in collaboration with UNICEF, organises every year. The aim is to monitor the implementation of projects in the field and ensure that activities are progressing smoothly. It is also an opportunity to reflect together on the ways and means of rectifying the situation, if necessary, to achieve better results.
This year, the focus is on 3 areas: the convergence zones of the new 2024-2027 programme document, namely Ngozi, Kirundo and Muyinga
The Ngozi regional hospital will therefore mark the first stage in a series of 4 visits to the Ngozi axis. At this site, the joint mission appreciated the improvement in the quality of care thanks to the oxygen therapy equipment provided by UNICEF, with funding from the Norwegian government. In particular, the hospital has benefited from oxygen production units, generators to power them, vehicles to help transport the oxygen produced to neighbouring health facilities, oxygen concentrators, cylinders and pulse oximeters to facilitate oxygen monitoring at community level.
“Oxygen is very expensive; we used to spend between 100 and 150 million Burundi francs a year. And less than 10% of our patients can afford oxygen,” explains the hospital director. Thanks to UNICEF support, the hospital also treats children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with medical complications. “UNICEF provides us with all the inputs we use in our therapeutic stabilization unit,” says Emile, head of the unit, which sees between 8 and 15 cases a month.
On the Mubuga hill, in the commune of Ngozi, the joint mission went to meet the light mothers and community health workers and appreciated their contribution to the prevention and management of malnutrition at community level, through a package of multi-sectoral interventions. The package includes monitoring and promoting growth, screening for acute malnutrition and referring cases of acute malnutrition, as well as preventing malnutrition by promoting optimal behaviour for child development at community level. “Congratulations on the work you are doing. I also encourage men to become more involved in the fight against malnutrition,” said Ambassador Gaudence Sindayigaya. For her part, UNICEF Representative in Burundi France Begin reiterated UNICEF's commitment to continue supporting this programme so that children can develop properly.
In the commune of Ruhororo, the joint mission was amazed by the way in which the population has successfully implemented the "Community Led Total Sanitation" (CLTS) approach, supported by UNICEF. Thanks to this project, the number of households with latrines considered adequate and living in an environment free from open defecation has risen from 6% to 94%. This is a major step towards creating a healthy living environment, conducive to human dignity and free from conditions that encourage the transmission of disease.
In Gashikanwa, the mission also appreciated how the community health workers, trained by UNICEF, have now mastered the use of the pulse oximeter. This tool enables them to detect oxygen saturation levels in children as part of their integrated management of childhood illnesses at community level. This enables them to organise timely referrals to higher-level care structures if necessary. With UNICEF support, 622 community health workers have already been trained in the use of this tool.
The field missions ended with a feedback session during which participants shared the main results achieved for each project visited, the constraints identified, the solutions proposed, and the strategic recommendations for accelerating results for children.
These field missions were preceded by a retreat for the focal points of the sectoral ministries that are permanent members of the technical monitoring group. The aim was to share with this body, set up to support the implementation of the cooperation programme, UNICEF's new priorities within the framework of the new 2024-2027 country programme document, and to reflect together on their role in its implementation.