Burundi

Burundi: Supporting Children in a Cycle of Resilience and Recovery

Explore Burundi:

Discover how children are navigating poverty, trauma, and a fragile education system — and how local efforts are giving them the support and strength to rise.

The Situation for Children in Burundi

Burundi is a small country with a long history of political instability, poverty, and conflict. While peace has returned, many children continue to carry the weight of past violence and ongoing hardship. These are the three most pressing challenges facing children today:

Chronic Poverty and Food Insecurity

Over 65% of Burundians live in poverty, and many children suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Daily meals are uncertain, and many families depend on subsistence farming that’s vulnerable to drought and crop failure.

Psychosocial Trauma from Past and Present Conflict

Generations of children have grown up amid displacement, civil unrest, or the legacy of violence. Emotional trauma is common, yet mental health support remains nearly nonexistent in schools and communities.

Barriers to Accessing Quality Education

While enrollment in primary school is high, schools are often overcrowded, underfunded, and lack trained teachers. Rural children — especially girls — face long walks to school and pressure to drop out early.

Despite these challenges, Burundi’s children remain full of hope, dreaming of education, health, and opportunities for a better tomorrow.

Key Contributor #1: FVS-AMADE Burundi

Fighting Hunger and Supporting Orphans Through Community Care

In Burundi’s rural hillsides, FVS-AMADE runs a network of care centers for orphaned and vulnerable children. These centers provide meals, health checkups, schooling support, and community mentoring for kids who have lost one or both parents — often to poverty or past conflict.

Caregivers, often local women, create safe environments where children feel protected and heard. Beyond food and schooling, FVS-AMADE teaches farming skills, hygiene, and emotional resilience to help youth build self-sufficiency.

For children with no one left to count on, FVS-AMADE becomes a new kind of family — one that feeds both the body and the heart.

Key Contributor #2: Maison Shalom

Helping Children Heal Through Art, Education, and Dignity

Founded by a survivor of Burundi’s civil war, Maison Shalom was created to give children a chance at healing and happiness. Through trauma-informed education, art therapy, and holistic community programs, the organization helps children rebuild their sense of safety and self-worth.

From storytelling circles to drawing classes and teen mentorship groups, children are given space to express what they’ve lived through — and imagine something more. Their school program also supports children in vulnerable families with supplies, uniforms, and school meals.

Maison Shalom doesn’t just restore hope. It restores the belief that every child deserves a joyful, meaningful life.

Key Event #1: Hillside Meal Drive – Gitega Province

Fighting Hunger With Community Kitchens

In early 2023, FVS-AMADE and local farmers joined forces to launch the Hillside Meal Drive, a campaign to feed over 500 children daily in villages outside Gitega. With firewood stoves, donated beans and maize, and handmade bowls, women from each village came together to prepare warm meals for children walking long distances to school.

The initiative transformed how children learned. Hunger no longer sat between them and their lessons. Energy returned to classrooms, and absenteeism dropped almost overnight.

More than a food program, the Meal Drive became a daily reminder that even in poverty, generosity can still thrive.

Key Event #2: Children’s Story Circle – Bujumbura

Helping Youth Heal With Words and Art

In a small, sunlit room in Bujumbura, dozens of children gather every Saturday for Children’s Story Circle, an initiative by Maison Shalom to help children open up about trauma, grief, and hope. The format is simple: listen, draw, write, and share.

Some children write about things they’ve seen. Others draw pictures of missing parents or safe homes they dream of. Facilitators gently guide them toward language, courage, and comfort.

Week by week, trust is built. Stories get louder. Smiles return. And children begin to understand: they are not alone.

Top Grassroot Nonprofits Across Burundi