Louvain Coopération is also active in Burundi to improve access to healthcare through community health insurance schemes. This year, a brand new initiative is taking shape, with a particular focus on women's health and women's representation within the mutual health organisations.
In Burundi, the problem of access to healthcare is particularly alarming. Almost 90% of the population has no social protection in terms of health. The hardest hit are the rural population and workers in the informal sector, who are exposed to insurmountable expenses in the event of illness.
Louvain Coopération and the Mutualités Libres are working to improve access to healthcare for these populations, with a particular focus on women. "According to custom, women are responsible for the health of the family, and of the children in particular", explains Dr Jeanine Kamana, technical assistant in health for Louvain Coopération in Burundi. "If a woman understands the importance of joining a mutual health insurance scheme, she will involve her whole family in the process! What's more, women are far too often absent from the decision-making bodies of mutual health insurance schemes, because priority is given to men. We want to encourage women to play a greater role, because this is a matter that concerns them directly."