National solidarity day to be celebrated on July 28 throughout Burundi

Burundians will celebrate on 28 July the national solidarity day whose aim will be collecting aid to assist vulnerable people and victims of disasters.

The national solidarity day whose aim will be collecting aid to assist vulnerable people and victims of disasters

“The long-awaited national solidarity day will be celebrated on July 28 in all the communes of the country,” said Martin Nivyabandi, Minister of Human Rights, Social Affairs and Gender alongside Pascal Barandagiye, Minister of the Interior in a press conference jointly held on July 24.

They call on local chiefs and communal administrators to mobilize the population in their areas to give aid for vulnerable people and victims of disasters.

Minister Nivyabandi said the aid to be collected will be made of food and non-food items as well as money. “All kinds of products will be collected for this purpose. Whoever has clothes or shoes that s/he thinks are worn out will give them because they may still be used by other people who need them, “says Nivyabandi adding that everyone will donate according to the means they have

According to Minister Nivyabandi, the aid will be collected locally and will be distributed to vulnerable people from the same locality. “It is within the framework of strengthening community self-help,” says Nivyabandi adding that this contribution concerns everyone. “Individuals, organizations, churches, businesses are concerned,” he says.

The Minister of the Interior reassures that this contribution is not obligatory. According to Barandagiye, the aid collected will be immediately distributed to people in need adding that humanitarian organizations are identifying vulnerable people who will receive it.

Regarding the assistance in cash, Minister Barandagiye says each municipality will open an account on which the cash will be deposited adding that the government has set up committees which will be responsible for managing the collected money. “The two ministries will jointly oversee these committees to ensure that the aid is managed transparently,” Barandagiye concludes.