Archbishop of Burundi leads Mothers' Union 16 Days of Activism March

Mothers’ Union members around the world are currently involved in the international 16 Days of Activism campaign, using many different iniatives to raise awareness of and speak out against gender-based violence. In Makamba, Burundi, Mothers’ Union, along with the Archbishop of Burundi and local administrators organised a protest march attended by both men and women.

Archbishop Martin Blaise led the event and reminded the participants who attended that the fight against GBV is everyone’s concern. There was also opportunity for those attending to listen to powerful testimonies of changes brought by Mothers’ Union programmes particularly our Literacy and Savings programme. 

One testimony from a man who participated in this programme said;

“We used to be perpetrators of violence against our spouses, we prevented them to join the literacy or saving circles and sometimes we beat them but they kept going to the sessions of learning and saving. We have been changed by the benefits our families got from those activities. Our wives got us clothes; had improved our diet and are generating incomes while in the past we used to provide to every need in the family. We then decided to join them and we are now happy.”

According to the local authorities, the programme of Women Empowerment initiated by Mothers’ Union is contributing considerably to reduce domestic violence. Claudette Kigeme, Provincial Mothers’ Union Coordinator urged parents to avoid distinction between boys and girls in their education because it causes later a negative masculinity for boys and it results to Gender-Based Violence.