GITEGA July 20th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza explained the importance of the National Solidarity Day established by law number 100/053 of May 11, 2018 to revalorize cultural values assistance to vulnerable groups within clans, local communities and communes. That National Solidarity Day will be held on the last Saturday of each year on all the hills of the country to collect aid for vulnerable groups and victims of disasters.
He recommended the promotion of hill irrigation techniques and kitchen gardens in this dry season.President Nkurunziza immediately rejoiced for the peace and security that reign throughout the country. He expressed satisfaction with the best production recorded in the different sectors of national life during the past six months. He cited, among other examples, the Burundi Revenue Authority (OBR), where the performance achieved far exceeded those of previous years, the agriculture and livestock sector, as well as the trade sector. He invited the farmers to ensure the good management of the harvested crops and to avoid mismanagement. He also criticized fraud of any kind.
The President of the Republic seized the opportunity to invite the Burundian people to reevaluate the cultural values of assistance to vulnerable groups in local communities, clans and communes. The communes which are bases of development must also favor initiatives of assistance to the vulnerable people. The main objective is to promote active solidarity within communities as was the case in traditional Burundian culture. That would avoid despair that leads to vices or even crimes.
In the same aim of strengthening the links of community solidarity, President Nkurunziza invited the administrative authorities to organize the communal day in modesty. That would strengthen the relations of friendship and cohesion among natives of communes of different social categories.
The Head of State recalled that the spirit of solidarity and mutual aid originates from traditional Burundian culture especially in clans and local communities. He regrets that those cultural values have been deteriorated with the advent of colonization. A number of non-assisted poverty-stricken persons have given way to despair and some have indulged in unworthy begging. Hence the increase of street children and child beggars in urban centers.
It is to alleviate that phenomenon of begging that the government has introduced the withdrawal program of children on the streets and adults beggars for three months ago. That program continues and records more than 1,200 beggars already removed from the street and reintegrated into families, said the Minister of Human Rights, Social Affairs and Gender, Mr. Martin Nivyabandi. Those reintegrated beggars and other vulnerable people need help. Thus, the collections that will be organized on the hills will be distributed to vulnerable groups such as orphans, widows, the elderly, victims of bad weather, he added.
On his part, the Minister of the Interior, Patriotic Education and Local Development, Mr. Pascal Barandagiye, asked communal administrators to identify vulnerable people. He also recommended the setting up of organizing committees for national solidarity days from the provinces to the hills.
