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Twitezimbere

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Coordinates: 3°23′23″S 29°22′08″E / 3.38974°S 29.36901°E / -3.38974; 29.36901
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Twitezimbere A.S.B.L.
FormationFebruary 1993; 31 years ago (1993-02)
TypeNon-profit association
PurposeRural development
HeadquartersRohero I, Avenue de la JRR, N°25
Location
Coordinates3°23′23″S 29°22′08″E / 3.38974°S 29.36901°E / -3.38974; 29.36901
Region served
Burundi
Websitewww.twitezimbere.bi

Twitezimbere[a] ASBL is a non-profit association serving low income peasant farmers in Burundi. It assists them in learning good practices, obtaining micro-credit, finding markets and so on.

Activities

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Twitezimbere is a Non-Profit Association (ASBL: Association sans but lucratif) that was created in February 1993 by a group of Burundian civil society organizations.[1] Activities include:

  • Support income-generating development activities and micro-companies.
  • Improve infrastructure related to education, health, warehouses, pharmacies, drinking water, sanitation, fisheries, drainage, irrigation, bridges, erosion control and reforestation.
  • Train people in entrepreneurship, self-development and management of micro-projects.
  • Undertake surveys and studies to monitor socio-economic conditions.[1]

Projects include:

PAGRIS

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PAGRIS (Projet d’Appui pour une Gestion Responsable et Intégrée des Sols, Project of Support for Responsible and Integrated Soil Management) was a four year project from March 2020 to June 2024, in a partnership between Twitezimbere, Wageningen University and ISABU. It was funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Burundi. It covered 755 sites in 154 collines of 20 communes in the provinces of Bubanza, Bujumbura, Cibitoke, Gitega, Makamba, Muyinga and Rumonge. 100,000 farm households, 50% women, applied soil management practices on 22,000 hectares (54,000 acres) and increased their income by 25%.[2]

Dolomie

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The Dolomite Pilot Project was initiated within the PAGRIS framework by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) working with the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock (MINEAGRIE). It promoted use of dolomite to correct soil acidity in conjunction with manure, fertilizers, improved seeds, soil protection and other good agricultural practices. Twitezimbere's intervention areas were in Bubanza (Bubanza and Rugazi), Bujumbura (Nyabiraba), Cibitoke (Mabayi), Karusi (Buhiga, Mutumba and Nyabikere), Muyinga (Muyinga), Mwaro (Gisozi and Rusaka), Makamba (Makamba) and Rumonge (Rumonge).[3]

PADANE

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PADANE (Projet d'Appui pour le Développement Agricole - Nutrition et l'Entrepreneuriat: Agricultural Development Support Project - Nutrition and Entrepreneurship) is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation. It covers the informal value chains for Amaranth, Japanese plum, Passion fruit, chicken, eggs and milk, and the formal value chains for White Sorghum, Sunflower and Patchouli.[4]

The Market Access component runs in the provinces of Bujumbura, Bubanza, Cibitoke, Rumonge, Makamba, Gitega and Muyinga. It identifies markets for products and guides the flow of products from producers to markets. The Cooperative component runs in the provinces of Bubanza, Bujumbura, Cibitoke and Muyinga. The cooperatives facilitate ordering and purchase from the members and group sale of production, and arranges access to credits from financial institutions.[4]

PSSD

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PSSD (Private Seed Sector Development) seeks to develop the market for quality seeds and to sustainably establish seed production and marketing in Burundi. The target crops are maize, beans, potatoes. The project aims to develop national seed companies to supply quality seeds to small producers. It also aims to train smallholder farmers in good agricultural practices, and to support the private sector in setting up demonstration fields.[5]

MSE

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MSE (Multi-stakeholder commitment for family planning in Burundi) improves access, demand and availability of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) commodities, particularly modern family planning methods and health commodities for women and adolescents.[6]

PAIFAR-B

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The Government of Burundi, supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), initiated the Projet d’Appui à l’Inclusion Financière Agricole et Rurale au Burundi (Project to Support Agricultural and Rural Financial Inclusion in Burundi, PAIFAR-B). It is supervised by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Development Cooperation, and the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock is the project owner.[7]

The PAIFAR-B / Twitezimbere Partnership aims to Improve financial inclusion after reducing of extreme poverty and chronic malnutrition. This is to ensure social protection for the very vulnerable population, while preparing them, in the long term, to access the financial services offered by micro-finance institutions. The first step is to ensure that the targeted households escape extreme poverty and chronic malnutrition. Activities were initially concentrated on the 14 provinces covered by IFAD technical projects, Bubanza, Bujumbura, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Muramvya, Muyinga, Ngozi, Ruyigi, Rutana, Bururi and Rumonge.[7]

Gender bias

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A 2024 article about women's participation in the Twitezimbere and Rekatujane rice cooperatives in the Commune of Gihanga, Bubanza Province, outlined some of the challenges. Traditional culture expects women to stay at home to care for the children and do household chores. The women are isolated and illiterate, and are reluctant to adapt to the new practices of cooperative rice farming.[8]

The Twitezimbere cooperative had 81 members of whom only 12 were women. 80% of the women were illiterate, compared to 75% of the men.[9] Some members said that "the woman is like a child who needs to be supervised. Since the time of our ancestors, it's been like that, it's a heritage." Husbands said they were masters of the home, and if they let themselves be dominated by their wife they would be cursed by the whole village.[10]

The report recommended that the local administration should work with the leaders of the cooperatives to help change the attitudes of men who thought that women's place was in the home. They should also encourage women to participate in agricultural cooperatives through meetings and support, and should promote education of girls in rural areas.[11]

Sexual and reproductive health

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The population of Burundi frew from 4 million in 1979 to 5 million in 1990, 8 million in 2008 and about 13 million in 2023. This rate of growth, if sustained, will make it impossible to meet the basic needs of the population, including food security, education and health care. Population control is essential.[12]

The Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, in collaboration with Twitezimbere and ABS (Burundian Alliance against AIDS), studied prices, financial accessibility and availability of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) products as well as the provision of SRH services to adolescents and young people. Results were presented in November 2023. The products are generally affordable and accessible, although the WHO target of 80% had not been met. Adolescents heard conflicting messages, and were not always able to make informed choices. About 30% of public, private and volunteer health workers and 60% of faith-based providers believed that adolescent girls should not be provided with contraceptives.[12]

As of 2024 Health Action International, supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Burundi and in partnership with Twitezimbere, was working on a Multi-Actor Approach to Family Planning in Burundi project. It aimed to improve access to health services, family planning methods, contraceptives and other sexual and reproductive health commodities.[13]

Environmental concern

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Burundi began to plan a national environmental strategy in 1993, but made no progress due to the political crisis that year. With the support of the UNDP, work on the National Environmental Strategy was relaunched in 1998. However, there was lack of resources and no effort to promote the strategy, which was ignored.[14]

During the first nine months of 1998, ASBL Twitezimbere was able to start 123 projects, and 159 sources were developed with a very small staff of six members and a support staff of four members. A 1999 report on the second social action project commended the work but noted that the already overloaded staff would have difficulty coping with studies of the environmental impact of their projects.[15] ASBL Twitezimbere would not only have to promote environmentally sound activities, but would have to teach the beneficiaries the benefits of a healthy environment.[14]

For example, construction of schools, health centers and commercial buildings could cause soil erosion due to extraction of construction materials such as sand and crushed stone, and manufacture of bricks and tiles. Inadequate drainage systems could also cause erosion. There could be damage to the wildlife habitat in nearby public forests, and sedimentation or contamination of water downstream from the project.[16]

Partnership

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The Caisse Coopérative d'Epargne et de Crédit Mutuel (CECM) has an important agreement with Twitezimbere. It includes a guarantee fund, that includes loans from Twitezimbere related to income-generating activities. CECM is responsible for monitoring and recovery of credits, but collaborates with Twitezimbere if there are repayment difficulties. The agreement also concerns lines of credit or cash loans using funds from Twitezimbere when CECM does not have enough.[17]

Notes

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  1. ^ "Twitezimbere" is a Kinyarwanda term meaning "Let's make progress" or "we work together for development"

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Twitezimbere Asdl Esoko.
  2. ^ PAGRIS Twitezimbere.
  3. ^ Projet Pilote Dolomie Twitezimbere.
  4. ^ a b PADANE Twitezimbere.
  5. ^ PSSD Twitezimbere.
  6. ^ Multi-stakeholder commitment for family planning in Burundi.
  7. ^ a b PAIFAR-B Twitezimbere.
  8. ^ Manirakiza, Ntakirutimana & Bazira 2024, p. 1.
  9. ^ Manirakiza, Ntakirutimana & Bazira 2024, p. 5.
  10. ^ Manirakiza, Ntakirutimana & Bazira 2024, p. 6.
  11. ^ Manirakiza, Ntakirutimana & Bazira 2024, p. 10.
  12. ^ a b Twitezimbere, pour un développement économique durable.
  13. ^ Ange Moray.
  14. ^ a b Nduwumwami 1999, p. 40.
  15. ^ Nduwumwami 1999, p. 41.
  16. ^ Nduwumwami 1999, pp. 29–30.
  17. ^ Niyongabo 2007, p. 78.

Sources

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  • Ange Moray, Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Family Planning, Health Action International, retrieved 2024-10-07
  • Manirakiza, Ferdinand; Ntakirutimana, Leonard; Bazira, Abel Bigawa (2024), "Determinants of Rural Women's Participation in Agricultural Cooperatives in Burundi: The Case of the TWITEZIMBERE and REKATUJANE Rice Cooperatives in the GIHANGA Commune", Archives of Food and Nutritional Science (1), Heighten Science Publications Corporation: 1–11, doi:10.29328/journal.afns.1001055
  • Multi-actor commitment for family planning in Burundi (in French), Twitezimbere, retrieved 2024-10-07
  • Nduwumwami, Damas (April 1999), Analyse environnementale des activites futures du second projet d'actions sociales (PDF) (in French), ASBL Twitezimbere, retrieved 2024-10-07
  • Niyongabo, Ephrem (2007), La recherche de pérennité par les institutions de microfinance au Burundi. Trois études de cas... (PDF)
  • PADANE (in French), Twitezimbere, retrieved 2024-10-07
  • PAGRIS (in French), Twitezimbere, retrieved 2024-10-07
  • PAIFAR-B (in French), Twitezimbere, retrieved 2024-10-07
  • Projet Pilote Dolomie (in French), Twitezimbere, retrieved 2024-10-07
  • PSSD (in French), Twitezimbere, retrieved 2024-10-07
  • "Twitezimbere Asdl", Esoko, retrieved 2024-10-07
  • "Twitezimbere, pour un développement économique durable basé sur la Santé Sexuelle et Reproductive", Burundi Eco, 24 November 2023
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