As Burundians warmed up for the holiday season, staff of the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General in Burundi (OSESG-B) conducted a humanitarian outreach on10 December 2018, targeting underprivileged children in Bujumbura.

OSESG-B Director Yewande Odia and her team visited two homes for orphans and street children in the capital to share with them the spirit and warmth of Christmas. Both establishments were presented with an assortment of basic needs, including food items and sanitary items acquired through voluntary contributions from staff of OSESG-B.

The Centre d’Encadrement et de Réinsertion des Enfants Soleil is located in Bwiza Community. It is built to accommodate 80 children but holds way in excess of that number. At the time of the visit, the centre had 126 children on roll.

Created in August 2000, the centre provides care and support to children ranging from 2 to 18, all removed from the street as part of efforts towards their social reintegration into the communities.

The other centre visited on December 10 was the Jabe Orphanage, which was established way back in 1952. It is presently home to some 60 orphans of various ages, from toddlers to high school graduates. They all had one thing in common: no family to call their own.

Both centres are public establishments set up and managed by the Government of Burundi through the Ministry of National Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender.