BUJUMBURA July 5th (ABP) – The First Lady of the Republic of Burundi, Mrs. Angeline Ndayishimiye, is concerned about the good health and well-being of young people and adolescents for the sole cause of preparing future mothers and fathers who are wise and responsible in their communities, leaders of integrity capable of carrying out the various functions that will be entrusted to them in the future. This was revealed during the awareness-raising workshops on good behavior that the first lady hosted in different provinces of the country for educated young people.
On June 23, 2022, the first lady of the country was at the headquarters of Bubanza province where she met the pupils studying at Bubanza high school. On June 27, 2022, Mrs. Ndayishimiye spoke with pupils from Notre Dame de l’Annonciation high school and those from Notre Dame du Sourire technical high school of Bukeye in Muramvya province. On June 28 and 29, 2022, the wife of the President of the Republic met respectively with the pupils studying at Notre Dame de la Sagesse (Ex-CND) high school in the commune and province of Gitega and those of the Arthur Chilson normal school of Kibimba (ENAC Kibimba) based in Ndava commune of Mwaro province.
In all those workshops, which were led under the theme “Ingeso mbi oya ku bwa kazoza kanje keza” (No to bad behavior for my better future), Mrs. Ndayishimiye conveyed the same message to young people and adolescents, encouraging them to study with a vision, to obey the advice given to them by their parents and teachers, and to dare say no to anyone who wants to lead them into bad behaviors that harm their health, including debauchery, excessive consumption of alcohol as well as drug use.
“Had it not been the good education I received from my parents and teachers including faith leaders, I would not be able to stand in front of you to sensitize you to good behavior for your best future”, underlined Mrs. Ndayishimiye, before calling on young people and adolescents to be filled with virtues because, she continued to say, virtue always finds its reward. Mrs. Ndayishimiye was also inspired by the scriptures drawn 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 crowned with virtues in order to rejoice their parents and the Almighty God.
Those awareness-raising workshops for young people and adolescents on wisdom, leadership, good health and the fight against AIDS were embellished by three presentations on the promotion of the well-being and health of young people, the state of play with regard to the fight against AIDS in Burundi and the sexual and reproductive health of young people and adolescents. Those presentations were accompanied by testimonies given by young people who faced the music from sexual vagrancy at a younger age and excessive drug consumption. Other young people have testified that they have been carriers of HIV/AIDS since birth.
The first lady of the country took the opportunity to call on all social components of the Burundian population to do a general introspection in relation to their daily behavior in their communities or in their entourage. She appealed to everyone to be responsible while avoiding debauchery because, she deplored, the Sodom and Gomorrah cities, which we are told about in the Bible, were destroyed because of debauchery.
For all practical purposes, the first lady of the country asked those young people and adolescents to share, during the summer holidays, the advice they received with their brothers and sisters, their relatives and their friends in their communities of origin.