Thanks to loans from their savings group, this family was able to lease land.
Photo: OAP
Amahoro ava mu nda.” The Kirundian proverb means: Peace comes from the stomach. “When there is enough food, there can be peace in families and even in the whole country. And if you have enough to eat, you also have the opportunity to develop yourself,” explains Ernest Niyonzima, director of the Organization for the Promotion of Self-Help (OAP). »The conflicts in the Burundian province of Rumonge are mainly related to poverty, lack of access to land and insecure living conditions. The project is therefore intended to help improve the living conditions of the population and strengthen social cohesion,” he continues. The savings groups and agricultural collectives initiated and supported by OAP improve the economic situation of the people in the province. In training courses, villagers learn how to mediate in conflicts and thus directly strengthen peace in their environment.
An anonymous woman reports that the intervention helped her family: “My husband and I fought constantly. Members of the Peace Committee set up in our village showed us how damaging our quarrels were to our family and gave us constructive advice. Now we live in good conditions.« Sylvain Kashindi, community leader of Mutambara, sees great potential for the region in the mediation efforts of the villagers: »The members of the peace committees solve many conflicts in the villages in a peaceful way. This makes our work easier as an administration, and people use the money they previously spent in court for their families.«
“Thanks to the consulting and training offers, the project has awakened the team spirit and has already achieved good results,” says Niyonzima happily. Above all, the conflicts between the various groups of refugees and the local population have noticeably decreased. There is great interest in other communities in the region, so OAP and SODI are discussing expanding the project. The joy about the nd solidarity campaign is all the greater. The solidarity of the readers of »nd« helps OAP and SODI to further strengthen peace in Burundi.
