BUJUMBURA October 10th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, officially opened the 5th high-level forum for women leaders in Bujumbura on Monday 7 October 2024.
The forum was organised by the Office of the First Lady for Development in Burundi (OPDD-Burundi), under the theme ‘Investing in early childhood to build solid human capital throughout life’, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
In his speech, the Head of State stressed the need for mother-tongue teaching within the family, from an early age. He urged parents to pay close attention to their children’s education, and to avoid leaving them at the mercy of the boys and girls in the household. At the same time, he denounced the damaging effects of domestic disputes between parents. He went on to stress that family education is the responsibility of both parents.
President Ndayishimiye also recalled that parents have a duty to educate their children, on the one hand, and on the other, children have an obligation to look after their parents when they reach old age.
The Head of State also outlined national policy on the education, health and well-being of children.
With that in mind, he revealed that the Burundian government will strengthen boarding schools so that children can study in those schools to help them live with others in society, he declared.
For her part, the First Lady of Burundi, Angeline Ndayishimiye, began by saying that that year’s theme was a continuation of previous editions, which had focused on more fundamental issues. Those include empowering women, combating malnutrition, women’s health, newborns, adolescent health and family planning.
In addition, she explained, investing in early childhood means laying solid foundations for sustainable and inclusive development, and affirming our commitment to a more efficient and prosperous society.
The 1st Lady of Burundi pointed out that the efforts of women leaders should be focused on raising awareness among parents and educators of the importance of the first years of life.
She called on them to ensure that public policies are geared towards creating favourable support for families and children. That includes access to quality education, adequate nutrition and appropriate healthcare, she explained. In her view, quality early education is one of the most effective ways of reducing inequalities and promoting long-term social inclusion. Not only does it help to develop human capital, it also provides an effective response to issues such as early school leaving and poverty.
Over the course of the two days, the First Lady also announced that the participants will have the opportunity to exchange practices, explore innovative solutions and formulate concrete recommendations that can contribute to strengthening early childhood development.
According to her, the 5th High-Level Forum of Women Leaders will be an ideal opportunity to contribute to the development of early childhood, a crucial issue for the future and sustainable development of Burundi.
The High-Level Forum of Women Leaders was attended by four First Ladies: those of Gabon, Serbia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, as well as regional representatives of United Nations agencies and other regional institutions.