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FROM THE FIELD

Aid shipments for Burundi
03 Sep 2009 14:35:00 GMT
 Source: World Emergency Relief (WER) - UK
Stephanie Brittain

Website: Website: http://www.wer-uk.org

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This Burundian child has been helped by these shipments.
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This Burundian child has been helped by these shipments.
WER UK

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Two shipments of aid from WER (World Emergency Relief) have left the UK for distribution in Burundi. WER have assisted in Burundi since 1996, sending shipments such as these with essential aid including pharmaceutical goods, IT equipment, medical packs and tents. The aid will go to medical centres and refugees across Burundi, as well as schools caring for some of the thousands of orphans in the country.

The first shipment of 24 pallets has arrived in Bujumbura port, Burundi.

IT equipment including computers will be used in a new IT suite in Himbaza School, a not-for-profit school where over 600 children from poor backgrounds are enrolled. Only 57% of primary school aged children are in education in Burundi, but the IT suite will accommodate lessons and evening adult education classes, providing opportunities to people of all ages.

Clothes are being distributed to local children, including football strips. For many of the recipients in these remote rural areas, their new football kit will be the only item of clothing they own.

Uniforms have been provided to medical staff. Medical staff in Burundi are on low wages and frequently have to pay for their own uniforms. The shipment will allow staff to perform their duties in appropriate clothing and at no extra cost to them.

The second shipment was recently loaded in Glasgow and is expected to arrive in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on the 30th of September. From there, the goods will travel overland to reach the Burundian city of Bujumbura.

The shipment contains £105,000 of Pharmaceuticals, all with long use by dates, including 4 tonnes of flavoured liquid paracetamol for children. One pallet of surgical gloves will help doctors to treat 50 000 HIV/AIDS patients safely, ensuring they get the treatment required.

12 doctors travel packs, valued at £43,000, will be distributed to medical health clinics. These medical boxes are designed to enable doctors to treat 1000 patients for over 1 month. The portable packs include vital supplies such as aspirin, antibiotics, water purification tablets and oral rehydration sachets, and will facilitate the treatment of patients in more rural areas where medical services are not typically available.

Tents have been sent as part of the Charitable Tent Exchange. Years of civil war in Burundi, during which an estimated 300 000 men, women and children were killed, led to political and socio-economic instability for over a decade. The subsequent civil unrest in Burundi and neighboring countries also rendered thousands homeless. These tents will provide shelter to those in need.

Educational books have been donated to Children Rescued In Burundi (CRIB), King's School, helping to educate and build the foundations for a brighter future.

Thousands of children were orphaned in the conflicts and an estimated 90 000 AIDS orphans need care in Burundi. CRIB is an orphanage for children who have lost their families, providing them with the stability and care they deserve. A pallet of toys has also been sent to the CRIB orphanage, bringing a bit of brightness to the lives of the children.

Despite its past, Burundi is now facing a better future as it begins to reap the rewards of the 2007 peace process talks and aid. But it still faces the difficult task of reviving one of the poorest economies in the world and forming national unity in the face of past ethnic conflict.

"This aid will make a huge difference as it targets those who are most in need" said WER Chief Executive Alex Haxton. "The fact that our supporters here are still donating goods and cash to help children in places such as Burundi shows that even in hard economic times good people are still thinking about others."


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Background information

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African hunger - [Who works where]
Burundi transition - [Who works where]

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Last updated:Thu Sep 3 14:44:48 2009