OCHA Situation Report
Burundi
19 - 25 Nov 2007


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

ACTIVITIES AND UPDATES

Health: Update on cholera cases in Rumonge/Bururi Province

WHO in collaboration with the Ministry of health continue to monitor the 
situation further to the report of some cholera in several neighborhoods 
in Rumonge town, Bururi Province. Despite ongoing interventions, an 
increase in the number of new cases has been noticed. As of 26 November, 
78 cholera cases have been recorded since the first cases were reported 
on 2 November. In order to increase hygiene, with the support of UNICEF, 
Solidarites, CORDAID and the Burundian Red Cross, the following actions 
have been undertaken: community sensitization, disinfection of 
households, distribution of jerrycans, and bars of soap to 2,441 
households in Rukinga, Mwange, Teba and Nkayamba neighborhoods. In 
response to lack of access to potable water, five water points have been 
reopened and three bladders were set up in Mwange, Teba and Mugomere 
which are most affected areas.

UNICEF supports education through emergency project

In response to the destruction of classrooms by natural hazards and in 
support to the communities' efforts to increase access to education, 
UNICEF provided 6,200 aluminum sheets and nails for the rehabilitation 
and the construction of schools. In this regard, 3,160 aluminum sheets 
were given to Makamba Province for the rehabilitation of 79 classrooms 
and 3,040 to Muramvya Province for 76 classrooms. UNICEF also provided 
250 sheets to the primary school of Kinama in Bujumbura Mairie for the 
rehabilitation of its roof which was destroyed during the last storms in 
October 2007.

Assistance to Burundians expelled from Tanzania

During the reporting period, the Government project for the 
reintegration of war-affected persons (PARESI) registered 36 Burundians 
expelled from Tanzania who arrived through Kobero/Muyinga Province. No 
new expelled persons were recorded at the entry points of 
Mabanda/Makamba Province and Mishiha/Cankuzo Province. These figures 
indicate a sharp decline in expulsions currently conducted. So far in 
2007, PARESI has recorded 8,915 expelled persons of 4,334 families.

Teacher emergency package (TEP)

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) organized a three-day training 
session on childoriented/participatory methodologies for a total of 165 
participants from Bubanza, Ruyigi, Cibitoke, Rutana and Makamba 
Provinces. Participants were mainly public primary school teachers, 
heads of school, communal inspectors and provincial heads of education 
(DPE). The overall objective was to train the main actors involved in 
the public primary schools in inclusive/participatory methodologies in 
order to contribute to the upgrading of teaching methodologies and to 
facilitate the reintegration of the pupils who are enrolled in the NRC 
TEP programme into the primary schools. The covered themes included: 
learning environment, pedagogical aspects influencing the learning 
environment, the teachers' role, the qualities of a good teacher, 
personal development to become a good teacher and participatory 
methodology. At the end the training, evaluations were completed and the 
feedback was positive.

Update on repatriation and refugees

UNHCR registered a total of 1,086 Burundian refugees who arrived from 
Tanzania through the entry points of Kobero/Muyinga Province (194), and 
Mabanda/Makamba Province (889). 3 spontaneous returnees were registered 
in Mabanda. Since January 2007, 38,087 Burundian refugees have been 
repatriated to their home country including 476 spontaneous returnees. 
So far, 377,072 Burundians refugees have returned under the UNHCR 
facilitated repatriation process which began in April 2002.

Update on the food security situation in Ruyigi Province (Moso region)

A joint assessment mission was organized in the communes of Gisuru, 
Kinyinya and Nyabitsinda in the Eastern Province of Ruyigi. The 
mission's objective was to verify the scale of the reported population 
movement towards Tanzania, to evaluate the progress reached in the 
implementation of the agricultural season 2008A and to assess the need 
of an emergency assistance and its nature. Participants in the mission 
were: FAO, WFP, UNICEF, OCHA, the provincial department of Agriculture 
and Livestock and ACF. In the light of the information/data collected in 
collaboration with the administration authorities and humanitarian 
actors on the ground, the mission confirmed that the population movement 
towards Tanzania was normal in particular during the lean period when 
heads of households travel to Tanzania to sell manual work for the well 
being of their families. However, the mission noted the lack of rains in 
the visited communes and of seeds for most households. This will 
definitely affect crop harvests for season 2008A and thereby increase 
the risk of food insecurity during the coming months. The mission 
therefore recommended a close monitoring of season 2008A in order to 
provide an adequate and timely response both on the food security and 
nutritional level if need be.

Food aid distribution

Over the reporting week, in collaboration with its implementing 
partners, WFP distributed 924 MT to 145,186 beneficiaries nationwide. 
The Food for Work and School feeding programmes were respectively 
allocated 54% and 34% of the whole assistance and the remainder 
distributed to the other programmes.

Ongoing initiatives for the protection and community reintegration of 
returnees

The Legal Aid Clinic Project of the African Centre for the Constructive 
Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) successfully mediated seven land 
conflicts in Itaba Commune in Gitega Province, in Butaganzwa Commune in 
Ruyigi Province and in Rumonge Commune in Bururi Province. In addition, 
ACCORD held two training sessions for 50 community leaders on conflict 
management in Rumonge (25) and another one on legal matters in Ruyigi 
(25).

Humanitarian access hampered in Bujumbura Rural

Further to an upsurge in armed banditry in several areas of Bujumbura 
Rural Province, some NGOs operating in the Province decided to 
temporarily suspend their activities in areas where incidents have 
occurred. Activities like mine survey (DCA), nutritional survey (GVC), 
schools rehabilitation/construction (NRC) have been postponed until the 
security situation is assessed and deemed conducive to the continuation 
of humanitarian activities.

For more information: E-mail: ocha-burundi@un.org, Tel: +257 22 205000 
Ext. 5542

Attachments:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&docid=4A053B136960EA18C12573A30046A66B&file=Full_Report.pdf

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