UNFPA Burundi provides urgent humanitarian assistance to affected populations in Rutunga city

A major disaster occurred in the night of 26 March 2015 in the Commune Muhuta located at 35 km from Bujumbura capital city. Heavy rains hit some hills in this city which caused landslides resulting in human and material damages. Based on the assessment made by local administration services, the Red Cross and humanitarian NGOs, ten (10) people died, sixteen (16) are still missing and more than four hundred (400) households were completely destroyed by these landslides and rockfalls.

With the above data, UNFPA once on the field collected additional information related to the urgent situation and sexual reproductive health needs. "We discussed with women met on the site, they were very sad and unhappy as some of them had lost their children and they have not yet found their bodies. We also learnt that appliances of first necessity to households used for cooking, washing, fetching water and more, have been either broken or lost because of the heavy rains", said Janvier Ndizeye, UNFPA staff who was at the one of affected locality. "Among the survivors, there were twenty pregnant and fifty lactating women from the four hundred households. Their houses have been completely destroyed".

On 1st of April, UNFPA Burundi as part of the UN response team, provided urgent humanitarian assistance to affected populations, the country office distribute 400 hundred dignity kits including pans, plastic bucket, cloth, T shirt, beauty cream, soaps.

"We are satisfied with this important support that UNFPA country office has made. We were really in need", said women who benefited from kits of dignity. They thanked and asked UNFPA to continue assisting them, even in the days to come.