BUJUMBURA March 3rd (ABP) – The Director General of Social Assistance and Social Solidarity at the Ministry of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender, Mr. Joseph Ndayisenga, opened on Wednesday March 2, 2023 a national workshop to present the report about the “Analysis of obstacles and alternatives for the effectiveness of disability inclusion in development policies and strategies in Burundi”, organized by the non-profit organization “Cord”, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
According to Ndayisenga, the government of Burundi wishes to leave no one behind in order to be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This is why since 2014, Burundi has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People.
He also specified that the government of Burundi has also introduced other laws and measures to promote the living conditions of people with disabilities, in particular through the promulgation, in 2018, of the law on the protection and promotion of the rights of people with disabilities, the adoption, in 2018, of the national policy on the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as the establishment of the national committee for the rights of persons with disabilities to guarantee an effective implementation process.
He underlined that the government of Burundi carries out concrete actions towards people with disabilities such as support for children with disabilities through support directed towards specialized centers that care for them, supervising and organizing the education of those children in their various disabilities and support for centers and associations for people with disabilities in income-generating activities and training for people with disabilities in various trades.
In his welcoming address, the director of the NGO Cord, Mr. Fulgence Ndangijimana indicated that the objective of that analysis is to identify the obstacles to the implementation of the world vision in Burundi and to formulate the alternatives for the translation in the effective implementation of public policies for inclusive development. To that end, he pointed out that this analysis was carried out in six provinces considered to be representative of the country, namely, Bujumbura City Council, Gitega (Center), Ngozi (North), Ruyigi (East), Makamba (South), and Bubanza (West).
Regarding the obstacles faced by people with disabilities, he cited certain categories, namely the general obstacles that affect all types of disabilities in Burundi and the specific obstacles on the one hand in relation to the inclusion of disability in development and on the other hand, other obstacles in relation to each type of disability, women or children with disabilities.
Mrs. Zena Spinnelli, who had represented the European Union in those activities, recalled that people with disabilities should not be considered as citizens with fewer opportunities and rights. They deserve a life of dignity, freedom and respect for their rights within society, at work and at school.
By way of illustration, she cited some examples showing the advantages of integrating adults and children with disabilities into society: the centers for people with disabilities across the country, which are making efforts to offer rehabilitation services and other services, depending on the type of disability to enable them to integrate the school environment like the others, the organizations of those people participate in the life of society through their local initiatives and advocacy for their rights as well as the government of Burundi, which has adopted many initiatives to gradually strengthen the participation of people with disabilities.
She also underlined that the Delegation of the European Union to Burundi supported that study entrusted to the NGO Cord, to carry out an analysis in six provinces on the obstacles and alternatives to the effectiveness of the inclusion of disabled people in development policies and strategies of Burundi.