Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 185 out of 189 in the 2019 Human Development Index. The project in Burundi empowers communities to take charge of their own development, and also builds strong community leaders. The project in Burundi is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).

What

Community Integrated Development Project (CIDP)

Where

Cankuzo and Ruyigi provinces

Who

2,571 households (16,506 individuals)

Partners

Lutheran World Federation Burundi

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Help people in Burundi today!

Where goats become houses

In Burundi, goats are sometimes known as a 'Savings Bank on the Hoof'! This is because they can help a family in so many ways. 

Minani Evelyne received a goat from you through ALWS, which she was able to breed with another goat in her village. (Goats are excellent breeders – the male can start breeding at age 7 weeks! The female goat produces 1-5 kids per litter, after a pregnancy of 5 months. She can produce kids for her entire 10-12 years of life!)

The goats provide Evelyne with milk for her family, as well as manure to keep her veggie garden growing. Goat meat is also important for feasts for marriages and funerals.

Evelyne worked hard to care for her goats, grew them to a herd of 13 – and sold 5 goats to build a mud brick house!

Pineapples farms are another way your support grows.

The LWF team you support in Burundi showed Luc Rushiho how to grow pineapples, and set him up with a small quantity of plants. 

Luc has now made enough profit to buy a bicycle to transport his pineapples to market, and start a pig-rearing business. Now, his children can go to school, and the family have enough money for food and clothes!

ALWS acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).

Find out more about...

  • 25 agricultural groups trained and supported
  • 25 seed multipliers set up
  • 4 groups of farmers trained on food processing and conservation techniques
  • 7 savings and credit groups supported with management tools
  • 15 awareness sessions on children’s rights
  • Support with crutches to 14 disabled rights holders
  • 99 vulnerable households supported in building decent houses
  • 21 disaster risk reduction awareness sessions
  • 420 people educated in family planning
  • 154 participants in the maintenance of the feeder roads
  • 210 participants in bushfire control activities
  • 161 participants in environmental protection activities (contouring).

Thank you!

LWF Burundi plays a leading role among NGOs in eastern Burundi. They have experience in both relief and development work, LWF having served Burundian refugees in Tanzania since 1993. This work has given LWF a strong understanding of the issues faced by Burundian returnees and established the foundation for intervention in Burundi.

Now working in a development context, LWF Burundi continues to empower disadvantaged communities to achieve sustainable livelihoods. LWF Burundi builds a community-based structure and ensures local ownership by employing community members and training village leaders. 

Increasingly more people in the project areas are using  low-cost climate-friendly sustainable farming methods and animal husbandry, thus increasing family income and food security.

There is benefit in working through agricultural cooperatives where community members can learn from one another and support each other. The collective bargaining power by the cooperative for local produce also ensures higher returns for agricultural produce.

The program focuses on increased achievement of human rights, stronger leadership and improved livelihoods.  

Human rights activities: 

  • Literacy and enumeration 
  • Women’s empowerment training 
  • Community empowerment course 
  • Child protection training 
  • Community strengthening activities 
  • Skills building  
  • Public construction 

Leadership activities include: 

  • Leaders’ empowerment course 
  • Leaders’ meeting 
  • Leadership training 

Livelihoods activities include: 

  • Agriculture and livestock support 
  • Income generation 
  • Rotating savings and credit associations 
  • Accumulative savings and credit associations 

Before your ALWS help, Jean Marie and his wife could not grow enough food to feed their children.

Through partner LWF Burundi, Jean Marie was trained in modern farming so he could earn more money. He used this new income to buy a pig to breed, and is now putting profits from piglets into a Savings and Loans Group.

Jean Marie’s first priority is to send his children to school!

He also dreams of having a better roof to his house, then hopefully a better home as the one he lives in won’t last long with the current rainy season. He also wishes to have his own land so that he can apply the farming techniques that he learned on his own land.

Jean Marie sends his thanks to all who have supported him. (That’s you – thank you!)

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