World Refugee Day 2004 National Activity Plan: Burundi

Ruyigi province, where 25,000 people have returned since the beginning of the year, will host a World Refugee Day festival will be organised. There will be performances gathering people from seven towns around the region, traditional games, and a football match between a refugee team and a local team. The aim of the festival is to sensitise the local population and the authorities to welcome and assist returnees.

UNHCR will also organise a training course on international refugee protection for 20 local journalists. The training will be followed by a visit to Gisuru. Journalists will report on repatriation and reintegration activities in the province.

UNHCR films will be broadcast over four days at "La Cité des Anges" that belongs to "Maison Shalom". A returnee woman working now for "Maison Shalom" will talk about her flight across Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Tanzania.

A UNHCR film will be shown at Nyabitare transit centre.

In Bujumbura, the High Commissioner's World Refugee Day statement, a UNHCR film and the UNHCR World Refugee Day TV spot will be broadcast on the national TV channel. Urban refugees will also perform small plays and dances.

In Makamba, UNHCR will organise a training session on refugee protection. They will also explain UNHCR's ethical principles for implementing partners and newly recruited staff.

In Muyinga, besides the training session organised by local authorities, UNHCR will distribute clothes and hygiene kits to refugee and returnee women.