Society

Burundi: USD 3 million to help vulnerable people and returnees from four communes

The Ministry of the Interior in partnership with four organizations has launched a national reintegration project to help repatriated and vulnerable people from four communes of the country this July 27, 2018.

Gogo Hukportie: “This project will help reinforce cohesion and unity between repatriated people and those who stayed in the country”

Gogo Hukportie: “This project will help reinforce cohesion and unity between repatriated people and those who stayed in the country”

Gogo Hukportie, UNHCR Representative in Burundi, says these two categories of people need to be assisted. “Burundian citizens who return to their country need support for their sustainable reintegration. Even those who stayed in the country need to be supported in the process of welcoming with dignity their brothers and sisters who return,” she says.

Hukportie adds that UNHCR has established the needs of the vulnerable people and returnees and that it will have to propose them different projects for their empowerment.
“This project will help reinforce cohesion and unity between repatriated people and those who stayed in the country,” she says.

Gad Niyukuri, Governor of Makamba, one of the provinces which will benefit from this national reintegration project, appreciates this initiative saying it will improve the living conditions of the vulnerable people and returnees. “This is a great initiative which will help vulnerable people and returnees earn their living without begging,” he says.

The national reintegration project will be run in four communes namely Gisuru, Giteranyi, Kayogoro and Busoni from four provinces Ruyigi, Muyinga, Makamba and Kirundo respectively. The choice of the communes was based on the high number of returnees compared to other communes.

Four UN agencies namely UNDP, FAO, UNFPA and UNHCR will assist the ministry of the interior in the implementation of this project whose cost is estimated at USD 3 million.

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