GITEGA March 12th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, accompanied by his wife, enhanced with his presence the ceremonies marking the celebration of International Women’s Day, 2024 edition under the theme: “Let us move forward together with women in development by increasing production,” a check on the site by ABP has revealed. Those ceremonies, organized on Friday March 8 in Gitega (central Burundi), saw the participation of several high-ranking personalities of the country. After the salute of the national colors, they began with a long parade of women from various sectors of national life and ended with a military parade of women from the defense and security corps.
Speaking, the president of the National Women’s Forum, Mrs. Emérence Bucumi, welcomed the step that Burundi has already taken in respecting women’s rights. She also welcomed the government’s desire
Burundians to promote those rights by setting up a bank dedicated to women to ensure their development. Ms. Bucumi invited women to take out loans in that bank in order to contribute to the development of their families in particular and that of the country in general.
Despite the significant progress observed in respect for women’s rights, the president of the National Women’s Forum did not forget to point out that cases of gender-based violence are still observed in the country. She therefore asked men and women to combine efforts to effectively combat that scourge.
Before the President of the Republic, the president of the National Women’s Forum declared that women are committed to continuing to support the country’s authorities, promoting peace and security, raising awareness among women to work in cooperatives in order to increase production, raising awareness among women to guarantee cleanliness in their surroundings and so on.
However, she asked the President of the Republic to review the decision of the central bank (BRB) to prohibit women’s groups which make savings and take out loans, mainly in rural areas throughout the country because, she – she says, those groups help in the development of the country.
The President of the Republic, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, warmly thanked women for their enormous contributions to the development of different sectors of national life. He urged Burundians in general to always work diligently to achieve the 2040-2060 vision. He called on them to avoid laziness and reduce leave, saying that some have the habit of asking for leave for funeral ceremonies. “We cannot achieve that vision until we change our mentalities.”
President Ndayishimiye advised women to review the education of their children, particularly girls, specifying that Burundi wants to have women and men worthy of their names. He did not forget to point out that he has started a 100-day campaign to ensure cleanliness in all the cities of the country. He therefore asked women to support him in that campaign, signifying that they love cleanliness.
Regarding women’s groups providing savings and loans, the President of the Republic indicated that order is needed for the country to achieve sustainable development. “We must instead develop related texts so that those groups work in strict compliance with the laws,” he noted.
Note that President Ndayishimiye has once again reiterated his commitment to the fight against homosexuality in Burundi. That practice, he recalled, differs completely from the Burundian culture and constitution which places importance on a home. Note also that the Head of State presented certificates of merit and an envelope to 16 people who worked more than the others that year.