Heavy Rain Destroyed Three classrooms in Bujumbura Northern City

The heavy rain that fell last week destroyed two classrooms

The heavy rain that fell last week in Cibitoke neighborhood of Ntahangwa Commune of Bujumbura the capital destroyed three classrooms of Lycée Municipal de Cibitoke. Classroom roofs have been damaged. 9th form pupils from the Fundamental school and those from 1st year of social and human sciences section have been the most affected. “59 pupils from 9th form, in section C have been dispatched to other classrooms of the same class (A and B)”, says Déo Ntavyo, the assistant to the headmaster in charge of studies.

About 80 pupils share one classroom and three pupils sit on one desk. “We are not sitting comfortably but there is nothing we can do about that”, complains a 9th grade student. Pupils from the social and human sciences section are using a room intended for meetings. Déo Ntavyo said it is a temporary solution to keep pupils at school. “We should not let them stay home. As we have other classes for 9th graders (A and B), pupils from classroom C are learning together with them”, he says.

Déo Ntavyo, in charge of studies at the school calls for assistance. “If the heavy rain continues to fall at the same speed, even the walls will collapse. We need help”, he calls out. For him, sheet metals for the roofs are very expensive. “We could not have sufficient funds to buy them. We will bring parents together and see how they should contribute to the payment of builders and other technicians”, Ntavyo says.

Eddy Paul Hakizimana, administrator of Ntahangwa Commune says they have already made the estimate and sent it to the ministry of solidarity and human rights. “We are waiting for the response of the ministry so that the classrooms should be rebuilt”, he says.

Since September 2016, over 900 houses have been destroyed in the whole country, with the beginning of the rainy season.

Salvator Ntakiyiruta, responsible for the human action department and assistance to the victims of natural disaster in the ministry indicates that Bujumbura Province is the most affected with 767 houses destroyed. “There are also other 35 houses destroyed in Kirundo Province and 3 others in Cankuzo Province. These are provisional data as we are still recording other cases”, he says.