MWARO July 2nd (ABP) – The first lady of the country, Mrs. Angeline Ndayishimiye, was on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at the Kibimba Normal School Arthur Chilson (ENAC Kibimba) in Ndava commune of Mwaro province as part of continuing her fight for the good health and well-being of young people and adolescents, future leaders of the country.
“My children, I love you, I am your mother. I want you to be wise and responsible because the preparation of your better future begins today,” she insisted, asking those young people to continue their studies to obtain certificates and diplomas allowing them to continue their university studies to finally obtain qualified diplomas which, considered as their capital, will serve them in their future life.
The first lady was inspired by the holy scriptures taken from the first epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, chapter 6:12-20 and from the book of Proverbs 3:1-26; Proverbs 6:6-10; Proverbs 10:1; Proverbs 17:25 and Proverbs 19:24, which appeal to youth to be wise and obedient, to avoid debauchery, laziness and any other evil that can destroy their health before their dreams come true.
In his welcoming address, Mwaro province governor Gaspard Gasanzwe pointed out that peace reigns in the 6 communes that make up Mwaro province and that people go about development work. He expressed his gratitude to the first lady for her good initiative in favor of young people and adolescents.
In the field of education, Governor Gasanzwe said that the number of pupils who dropped out of school at the provincial level increased from 5365 including 3070 boys and 2295 girls during the 2020/2021 school year to 2324 including 1246 boys and 1078 girls for the 2021-2022 school year, due to illness, family poverty, failure, loss of courage and unwanted pregnancies.
The Ndava commune, which is home to ENAC Kibimba, alone has 1,583 dropout cases, including 855 boys and 728 girls for the 2020/2021 school year and 596 dropout case including 326 boys and 270 girls for the school year 2021/2022. These cases of school dropout experienced a reduction during the 2021/2022 school year thanks to evaluation meetings which were organized by the provincial administration in collaboration with provincial and communal officials of education as well as parents, said Mr. Gasanzwe, noting that the province intends to organize patriotic training for pupils on vacation.
Note that at the end of her advice, the first lady granted ENAC Kibimba donations consisting of 150 mattresses, 5 footballs, 2 basketballs, 2 volleyballs, 20 football jerseys, 12 basketball and 12 volleyball jerseys. She also donated 50 mattresses to Kibumbu Hospital. Finally, a guided visit was made by the first lady and the WHO representative in Burundi, Dr. Xavier Crespin, to the Clinique Bonne action – Umugiraneza – which will be responsible for treating patients suffering from obstetric fistulas. As a reminder, awareness workshops for young people and adolescents on wisdom, leadership, well-being and the fight against AIDS were organized by the Office of the First Lady for Development (OPDD-Burundi) with the financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Burundi, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research and that of Public Health and the fight against AIDS.