BUKINANYANA, Oct 7 (ABP) – As part of the project “Response to the urgent protection and livelihood needs of women, girls, and vulnerable groups affected by flooding,” the official handover of the “Remesha” center took place on September 30, 2025, in Gateri, Bukinanyana commune, Bujumbura province. This vital initiative was led by UN Women in partnership with the ministry in charge of gender and the organization “Seruka.”
The center serves as a safe space for the holistic care of victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). According to Véronique Barindogo, the representative of the ministry of justice, human rights and gender, this center will offer displaced women and girls a safe environment conducive to healing, listening, and regaining their autonomy.
She expressed gratitude to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which successfully raised international awareness of the humanitarian crisis caused by the Gatumba floods and helped secure funding for the construction of the center.
She called on the residents of the Gateri site to make use of the “Remesha” center to fight against SGBV.
Clara May Anyangwe, the representative of the United Nations System (UNS) and OCHA, emphasized that this is a significant milestone of the project. She stated that the center symbolizes hope, a refuge for those who are forgotten, a place of care, listening, and rebuilding for SGBV victims.
She highlighted that the project is a multisectoral response, resulting from collaboration between government actors, UN agencies and local organizations. By handing over this secure center to the ministry in charge of gender, the UNS remains confident that under the ministry’s responsibility, the space will continue to protect, support, empower women and girls and provide quality services to the community, beyond the project’s scheduled conclusion in December 2025.
According to Clara May Anyangwe, the handover marks a turning point in the project. She noted that the distribution of non-food kits to the residents of the Gateri site addresses immediate and essential needs.