Bujumbura, May 30, 2025 – Since May 13, various political parties have been crisscrossing the country campaigning for the parliamentary and district council elections. Seeking votes, candidates vie with each other with promises. But for some women left to fend for themselves on the streets of the commercial capital, these words are no longer enough. They demand concrete action.
Capitoline, a mother of six, begs every day in downtown Bujumbura – the city where the headquarters of United Nations agencies and the central government are located. She says she didn’t choose this life.
« I’m not here with a light heart. I just want to feed my children. » If the future elected officials can do something for us, let them really do it. »
On the streets of the town, dozens of them share the same daily life. Emelyne Bukeyeneza, a resident of Buterere, says :
« My husband left me with four children. One of them is disabled. I’m forced to beg to feed them. » She pleads for the future elected officials to create small jobs adapted to these women, « so that we’re no longer here reaching out in the sunlight and the rain. »
These women say they’re following the election campaign from afar. Few of them know the platforms proposed by the candidates. But one thing is clear : they rarely hear about their suffering in election speeches. And yet, family abandonment is on the rise, plunging many mothers into extreme poverty.
« We want our situation to be taken seriously. » « We can’t continue to live in this poverty without anyone in charge caring, » Capitoline laments, her voice weary.
More than 70% of single mothers in the outlying neighborhoods of Bujumbura have no stable source of income, according to local associations.
Female begging primarily affects women abandoned by their partners, often with several children to support.
NGOs warn of the lack of shelters, vocational training, and appropriate social reintegration programs.
The Ministry of National Solidarity recognizes the seriousness of the problem, but concrete action is slow in coming.
Several women say they do not receive social assistance, often perceived as discriminatory or reserved for those close to the government.
