A 2021 study by the Ministry of Solidarity, in collaboration with UNICEF, found that Burundi had at least 7,000 street children or children begging on the streets. The study showed that 90% of them were boys, while 10% were girls. Poverty and multifaceted family conflicts are behind the children’s decision to join the streets, where some give birth to other children.
According to the report, the number of street children has continued to rise, spreading to nearly all provincial towns, as confirmed by Etienne Gashamura an advisor from the Burundi Ministry of Solidarity.
“To address this, the children need to be taken off the streets. The government is tackling the main causes, such as poverty,” said Pontien Hatungimana, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Solidarity. “The government supports vulnerable families, offers free schooling, and provides free healthcare for children under age 5.” Hatungimana added that some initiatives require financial resources. “This is why we gathered all relevant parties to present the Burundian government’s directives to definitively address the issue of street children,” he said. He also explained that an estimated 47 billion Burundian francs are needed to remove the children from the streets permanently.
UNICEF is concerned about the lives these children are living on the streets. France Bégin, UNICEF representative in Burundi, said the children face many dangers. “The development of a national system for alternative care could help support the government’s efforts, ensuring a respectful form of protection to replace the parental care they were deprived of,” she said during a roundtable with partners and the Ministry of Solidarity on children’s rights. The meeting aimed to encourage contributions to finding a sustainable solution to the growing number of street children in Burundi’s cities.
Hatungimana invited all child rights stakeholders to unite their efforts to eradicate the issue of street children and beggars, emphasizing that by 2030, the issue is expected to be significantly reduced, according to the ministry’s expectations.
