CIBITOKE March 21st (ABP) – The closing ceremonies of the week (from March 8 to 15) dedicated to women by the MARAYIKA association working in Kaburantwa in Buganda commune of Cibitoke province (north-west of Burundi) took place took place on Friday March 15, enhanced by the representative of the Ministry of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender, Mrs. Donavine Niyonsaba.
In his speech, the envoy of the Ministry in charge of Gender welcomed the activities of the MARAYIKA association in general and those organized on the sidelines of the week dedicated to women in particular. She recognized that the organization’s program aligns well with the objectives of the government and her ministry, with the theme of the year 2024 which is: “Investing in women, accelerating the pace”.
“Contributing to the development of women is one of the government’s priorities because in the past, women have been neglected, which justifies their backward position in development,” said Ms. Niyonsaba.
The representative of the Ministry in charge of Gender took the opportunity to encourage the MARAYIKA association which supports the transition towards an egalitarian world between men and women. To achieve that, MARAYIKA aims to make its contribution to reducing the socio-economic vulnerability of unmarried mothers and their children in Buganda commune where the rate of gender-based violence is particularly high, we learned on place.
Thus, the objective of the organization is to strengthen the resilience of the latter through training on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and management of their health, said the legal representative of MARAYIKA, Ms. Gloria Inashaza, in her welcome word. With a view to the 2040-2060 vision, MARAYIKA aims to empower these women by eradicating their poverty, through development skills and job creation for women and young girls.
As for the activities of the said week, 50 single mothers from the Buganda commune benefited from capacity building on personal development, entrepreneurship and finances. In addition, 25 single mothers were trained in soap making. Furthermore, 50 Health Insurance Cards (CAM) were granted to vulnerable women for health care, while 50 vegetable gardens were installed and several families in the Kaburantwa community were made aware of family planning.
Note that on the first day of the said week, an organized voluntary blood donation made it possible to collect 16 bags of blood in Buganda commune, while 209 people from the same commune were able to undergo voluntary HIV/AIDS testing.