Ruminata lives in a Batwa community in rural Burundi with her husband Gaspard, their teenage daughter, Pascaline (18), and two sons, Cédric (12), and Régis (10). For many years, their family survived by making traditional Batwa clay pots, which sell for only a few cents each. Ruminata shares, “We had to go beg wherever we could to get something. My children did not have even the cheapest shoes. … Our shelter was covered with grass, we could not purchase even a single iron sheet (for the roof). We used to plan for one day because we had no resources to think of many days or weeks ahead. We were hopeless.” Continue Reading…
Archives For Burundi
HOPE Intl
Jun 9 2022
HOPE Intl
Microfinance
Simon Rurihafi (pictured right) is a coffee farmer who owns 350 trees—but he almost gave up on farming them.
In Burundi, the hurdles facing coffee farmers like Simon are many: The labor is demanding, farming techniques and expectations for bean quality have shifted in recent years, and there are gaps in the global supply and demand chains, making it difficult for smallholder farmers to connect with buyers at competitive prices. Simon recalls, “I thought of abandoning coffee in the past because of these challenges!”
On top of this, Burundian farmers have very few options to access financial services or training to update their farming practices, purchase additional land, plant more trees, or connect with buyers.
As a result, farmers have felt stuck, alone, and without options.
Reflecting on the last year, we’re amazed at how God has continued to show up throughout the HOPE network. Despite a myriad of challenges worldwide—political unrest, natural disasters, and an ongoing pandemic—God’s compassionate love has been evident to us, our partners, and those that we serve. Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Oct 28 2021
HOPE Intl
Stories we love
Jean Claude Kubwayo knew that goats would be a wise investment.
In rural Burundian communities like Jean Claude’s, goats and other livestock can provide a regular supply of meat, milk, and manure for crops. Animal products add nutritional and caloric value to a family’s diet, so simply owning livestock can improve a family’s overall health. Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Jul 8 2021
HOPE Intl
Stories we loveBefore joining a HOPE Burundi savings group in 2016, Isaac Nduwayezu lived as an outsider, relying on his hunting skills and talismans from his father, a witch doctor.
Raised a hunter in a village that saw hunting as archaic, Isaac was forced to carry home communal rejection and shame with each capture. Continue Reading…
Across all aspects of life, women and girls face greater barriers to opportunity and obstacles to providing for themselves, their families, and their communities. We believe that God has created both men and women to be powerful image bearers and agents of change in their homes, communities, and nations. Because women have more frequently lacked these opportunities, more than half of the individuals HOPE serves are women.
This year on International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating stories of impact, resilience, and transformation in the women we’re privileged to serve around the world.
