KIRUNDO January 17th (ABP) – The consortium of non-governmental organizations ACORD, Adp-MD2P and the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Burundi (AFAB), carried out from January 7 to 10, 2023, a monitoring and evaluation activity and methodological support for the activities that are underway in the Kirundo, Bugabira and Vumbi communes of the Kirundo province (north of Burundi), within the “Citizen participation and conflict prevention” program, a check by ABP revealed.
Passing through those three communes, the program coordinator, Mr. Patrice Nsabayezu, tried to make the beneficiaries understand the behavior to adopt in order to contribute to the enhancement of the socio-economic status of the people, based on the characteristics of good governance, namely consensus, transparency, efficiency, sustainable development, and so on.
The administrative officials and some beneficiaries of the program have testified that the lessons provided have been fruitful because the positive impact is visible in the community, especially at the social and development level, they said, adding that they have changed behavior in terms of the service they render to the people.
Others say they will soon improve their living conditions thanks to the modern agricultural practices they learned at Nyabututsi in Gitega province, especially on growing cassava. Those beneficiaries of the training in agricultural techniques plan to harvest cassava in the coming months but are worried about not finding the flow market because the practice learned is very productive. They took the opportunity to ask the production processing plant, meaning that it is easy to sell the finished product compared to selling the raw material.
In Bugabira commune, the representatives of the consortium had the opportunity to visit the fields of the beneficiaries in which they demonstrated the modern techniques learned, and positively appreciated the way in which they contribute to the increase in agricultural production, which is the wish of the government.
As for the Association of Women Entrepreneurs, those from the town of Kirundo indicated that they previously evaded from taxes and duties, but later understood the importance of taxation thanks to the lessons of the program. They are aware that the revenues collected by the OBR are used in the implementation of government projects with a view to ensuring the people’s welfare.
In the justice sector, the magistrates who took part in the meeting praised the program which contributed to the reduction of judicial files: this is the case of Bugabira commune where, in the past months, more than 100 judicial files were received, but that few files are now registered.
However, the beneficiaries confided that those activities of the “Citizen Participation and Conflict Prevention” program must be continued even after the departure of the technical partners and will be taken as routine activities.
As for Mrs. Pélagie Kagorore in charge of the workshops within Adp-MD2P, she summarized what was seen on the field saying that Burundi has experienced difficult times and, as a result, many souls have been broken, hence, this program has helped calm troubled souls, and there are those who have given testimonies.
In addition, she indicated that the program has encouraged the beneficiaries to self-development, stating that agriculture has been intensified and that the impact has been observed. She wanted those learned practices to be continued.