RUYIGI May 25th (ABP) – The Burundian State and non-governmental organizations working in the province of Ruyigi are called on to come to the aid of the widows of that province, by granting them properties to cultivate, fertilizers and selected seeds so that ‘they don’t lag behind in development. This appeal was launched by the group of associations of widows of the Buyogoma natural region, “Rema Nturi Wenyene” during the celebration on Saturday May 21, 2022, of its 5th anniversary. The pioneers of that collective, however, deplore the development that is progressing at a snail’s pace due to the lack of assistance.
That collective includes a workforce of 342 widows divided into 14 associations. They support each other through solidarity funds, through savings and solidarity systems, but also through field work for the benefit of the oldest among them.
The parish priest of Ruyigi, Father Eugene Nsanzerugeze, who initiated that project, indicates that the initial objective of the project was to bring together women in the situation of widows supporting other forms of vulnerability, to remind them that they are not the only ones in the world. It was also an opportunity to encourage them to unite their forces so that those who have the strength to work are not denigrated or discredited by their neighbors, he added.
The members of that collective rejoice in their belonging and the way they interact on their respective villages, and speak of an added value since their entry into Rema Nturi Wenyene.
Self-confidence is reborn, they say, thanks to mutual support because, for the oldest among them or for those suffering from chronic or incurable illnesses, the associations will carry out community work aimed either at plowing the fields of their vulnerable comrades, or even to repair this or that part of the house which is damaged.
Mrs. Marcelline Ntirampeba and Sister Immaculate Nzirubusa, supervisors of the association, however, deplore that some of those widows are sometimes victims of unexpected death due to lack of health care costs.
The members of that collective, their supervisors as well as the initiator of that collective call on the Burundian government, on national, regional and international non-governmental organizations to lend an attentive ear to their grievances. They need fees for the reinforcement of their solidarity fund so that they can buy medicines for the neediest.
The widows of the natural region of Buyogoma would like to eat the freshly caught fish by themselves instead of waiting for help. It is within that framework that they request, from the government and the local administration, the granting of the land to be plowed in the name of the said collective, without forgetting the fertilizers and the selected seeds, as well as small livestock such as sheep, goats, rabbits and chickens, providing manure to increase production.