BUBANZA June 30th (ABP) – The women of the Bubanza province (north-west of Burundi) are called on to organize themselves in cooperatives and to learn trades, because these facilitate self-development and their empowerment. This appeal was made to them by some of the women of that province who practice various trades in cooperatives and who spoke with a check by ABP.
Mrs. Térencie Niragira is one of the women who practice basketry in the synergy of artisanal cooperatives of Bubanza (SYCABU).
Met on Friday, June 24 at the headquarters of Bubanza commune where she exercises her profession, she indicates that the 8 years she has just spent exercising the profession have been very beneficial to her because, she explains, she was able to buy a plot, and raised pigs and goats which allowed her to build a house in that plot. The same is true for Jacqueline Niyongere who says that she manages to meet some of her needs without recourse from her husband, this after only 5 months of exercising this profession. As for the cooperatives grouped within that synergy, they manufacture baskets, bags, shoes, vases, paintings and others.
Nevertheless, they say that they face constraints of insufficient sales markets, and the high cost of certain materials used and purchased abroad. They call on other women to learn different trades and organize themselves into self-development cooperatives. It is worth noting that this synergy of artisanal cooperatives of Bubanza is made up of more than 100 members.