Government of Burundi & UNICEF appreciate the projects on the field
From 04 to 06 May 2022 were held the annual joint mission organized between the Government of Burundi and UNICEF. The purpose was to visit the projects carried out in different provinces of the country
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This year, the mission focused on three priorities of the office: early childhood development, climate change and adolescents.
Together, members of the technical ministries, heads of programs and UNICEF partners were able to conjointly appreciate the progress of UNICEF interventions on the field, the quality of services and materials provided, as well as to exchange with the authorities and local populations.
Regarding the "Adolescent" priority, the joint mission visited 3 solidarity groups, beneficiaries of the UNICEF project in the provinces of Rutana and Mwaro.
In Ngoma, Rutana province, the mission was able to exchange with Gerard, 22 years old, beneficiary of a collective project of pig farming: "this pig is the result of a collective investment that we have created between the members of our solidarity group. A small pig allows us to make BIF 70,000 and a pig can give birth to 12 small pigs, which allows us to make more money...".
Gérard is one of the beneficiaries of the 21st Century Skills Development Project for the empowerment and innovation of Burundian youth. The project is being implemented in 10 provinces of Burundi with support from UNICEF and its partners, Umuyinya ASBL, the Association des Guides du Burundi and the Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi and touches a total of 83,639 adolescents in the country.
In Mika, still in Rutana province, Longin Bukuru, 18 years old, member of a group of teenagers tells us: "with the income I got from the individual and collective projects of bean growing with my solidarity group, I managed to open a store for 500.000 BIF and to buy a land for 350.000 BIF to grow more beans, which will allow me to earn more income in the future".
The focus on financial resilience for self-financing from collectives and individual micro-enterprises was an important point of the mission.
In Mwaro province, the joint mission visited collective income generating projects that promote positive social entrepreneurship. A solidarity group from Nyamugari, Kayokwe commune, tells us with proudness how with the rent of a parcel of land for 40.000 BIF to cultivate wheat, they hope to make more than 100.000 BIF in the next 3 months with this harvest.
Finally, the mission visited a last project for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship of Burundian adolescents: CREATABLE. This initiative funded by UNICEF Australia has been implemented since 2020 in 10 Burundian provinces in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research. The visit to the Nyamabuye Basic School in Gitanga commune confirmed that in this community, the creation of improved cookstove and solar stills are both modules highly appreciated by the beneficiaries. With the knowledge acquired, they can build it more for sale, which allows them to save money for other projects. The same happens with the growing of legumes.
At the end of the group missions, all the participants attended a feedback meeting in Bujumbura during which they shared their experiences in the field and made recommendations that will be shared with the different stakeholders in order to maximize the UNICEF's interventions. In general, the participants saluted the good organization of this joint mission and expressed their satisfaction with the projects in progress.
