BURUNDI
context
Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world, persistently falling in to the bottom five countries on the UN Human Development Index with an estimated 1.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Despite the Government of Burundi’s strong engagement for education and its policy of free basic education which led to a significant increase in school enrolment rate in the last decade, an estimated half a million children – or 23% of children aged 6-14 years old- remain out of school. Extreme poverty, as well as family conflicts and child abuse, have also pushed thousands of children to the street. While the Government authorities regularly return children to their communities, without family mediation and livelihoods support, most of these children return to the street.
BURUNDI IN NUMBERS
56%
Of children under 5 years old are chronically malnourished – one of the highest rates in the world.
1.7 MILLION
Are in need of humanitarian assistance, mainly Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and returnees, who have limited resilience to frequent natural disasters and other shocks.
23%
Of children aged 6-14 years old- remain out of school.
what we are doing
Since 2016, Street Child has been working with local partner Famille Maintenant (FAMA) to support the economic needs of the local Batwa community so that they are better able to care for their children and send them to school. One of the most disadvantaged groups in Burundi, the minority Batwa often find themselves at the margins of society, discriminated against and forced into low paid work. 70% of Batwa adults are illiterate and in the communities where we work 30% of Batwa children are not in education.
Our livelihoods programming currently focuses on Muyinga province in the north east of the country supporting Batwa families to improve their food security. More recently we have introduced Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) to 180 households, to strengthen their financial position.
We will soon be launching a pilot of our Family Business for Education model with 50 of those caregivers and will support others with equipment grants to start or grow an income-generating activity. We also plan to use this model to support the reintegration of out-of-school children back into education, included street-connected children.
More recently, Street Child has supported local organizations to be on the forefront of the COVID-19 prevention efforts in Burundi. Together with Social Action for Development (S.A.D), Action pour la Paix et la Gouvernance pour le développement durable (APG-Inkingi) and Lumiere pour Tous (LPT) installed a total of 92 handwashing stations in key public locations in northern neighborhoods of Bujumbura and in the sites for the Gatumba flood victims with volunteers sensitizing nearly 200,000 people with life-saving messages, and an additional 2.5 million people through messages broadcast via radio.
YOUR IMPACT IN BURUNDI
2,522
Children given access to education, either at primary level or secondary level
10,306
Children reached through our programmes, of which 5,630 were girls.
597
Children reached through protection services.