Solidarity day in Ngagara : What of schoolchildren ?
As part of the National day for solidarity, the Association of natives of Ngagara gave notebooks to needy children in this area. The activity took place at the chief town of the Ngagara zone on Friday, August 6, 2021.
According to Liliane Gahungu the president of this association, they wanted to help vulnerable children whose parents find it difficult to get sufficient school material. « This was done with the objective of joining with other Burundians in the celebration of the day dedicated to solidarity, which is a good opportunity to show love and mutual support », she indicated.
With more than a hundred children targeted, these natives of Ngagara were able to give a dozen of notebooks to each child. Questioned on the issue of other needs such as school uniform and fees, the president of the association said that they continue to reflect on how they can increase this aid in the future. At the same time, she invited other associations working in the Ngagara area to do the same and help these children.
How did they go about identifying the most needy children ?
To proceed to the identification of the targeted group, the association worked with the local administration to be able to know those most at risk of dropping out of school due to lack of resources. Ernest Ntandikiye, Ngagara zone chief, recognises the works of this association and, on behalf of the administration, thanked this association for their generosity. Regarding the bad behaviour of selling donations by some beneficiaries, Ernest expressed his optimism with regard to the innocence of these children : « These children are still young and we hope they don’t yet think of this kind of practice. » He then called on beneficiaries to keep these notebooks safe and to work hard so as to encourage donors.
The children who benefited from this charitable work were both happy and grateful. Irakoze Faustine, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked the association of the natives of Ngagara who thought about this action : « It is joy for us to see how our elders support their little brothers and sisters. » They asked for the association not to stop there, but rather to continue this work of charity. Faustine, however, expressed her concerns about the lack of organised work in this area during the holidays.
For her, there sould be income-generating activities planned for the supervision of this youth, given that they can assist parents in the acquisition of school materials after such works.
