RUYIGI August 3rd (ABP) – The network of Burundians of the diaspora native to Batye village in the Butaganzwa zone and commune of Ruyigi province (eastern Burundi) granted aid on Saturday, July 31 to their former school located in the same village, a check by ABP revealed.
That aid, consisting of iron sheets, notebooks and pens, was given with the aim of strengthening education at that school. It includes 28 iron sheets and nails to repair the roof of a classroom that was completely on the ground, 2,400 notebooks of 60 sheets, 681 pens and 60 school benches.
That aid was collected by the natives of the Batye village who currently reside in countries such as Norway, the United States of America, and Australia and elsewhere, said the leader of the said network who is also deputy chairman of the Burundian diaspora, Mr. Jean Berchmans Manirakiza. He took the opportunity to call on the children of that village not to drop out of school. He also asks other Burundians of the diaspora to actively participate in the development of their native province.
He said they thought of actively contributing and supporting the school that gave them their basic education, after seeing that it was falling apart.
The said aid was received by the director of the said school, Mrs. Aline Irambona. She expressed her thanks to that network of natives of that village. However, she pointed out that her school still has other challenges to overcome for things to improve at that basic school. Indeed, she said, her school has 681 schoolchildren and pupils, with only eight classrooms and 11 teachers, which means that there is a lack of classrooms and teachers. The school is also facing the lack of benches and the problem of drinking water, according to Mrs. Irambona, emphasizing the worrying dropout rate. These school dropouts are due to the extreme poverty of some families, she said.
Despite all those difficulties and problems expressed, Mr. Manirakiza urged the youth to keep courage and not to give up studies. He reminded young people that the future tends to become uncertain for those with no education, and especially for young people. He let them know that the world is currently experiencing a breakthrough in technology and science, and that all of these advancements are likely to make life difficult for individuals who have not or have not received an education or those who dropped out of school.
To all members of the diaspora, all natives of Ruyigi province, administrative authorities, all decision-makers and all opinion leaders, they were asked to join and unite their forces for the development of their province.