Capital: Bujumbura
Area: 27,830 km²
Population: 6.4 million inhabitants (July 2005).
Ethnic groups: Hutu (Bantu), Tutsi (Hamitic), and Twa (Pygmy)
Official language(s): Kirundi, French
Religion(s): Christian, Muslim, indigenous beliefs.
Currency: 1 Burundi franc = 100 centimes

SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country

In 1976, SOS Kinderdorf International began its work in Burundi, a country crippled by endless political conflict. The first SOS Children's Village was built in Gitega, a town in the middle of the country, on a piece of land donated by the archbishopric and in 1979 the first families moved in.

The extraordinary poverty of the population and the children who suffered as a result in this country scarred by ethnic conflict, moved SOS Kinderdorf International in 1985 to found a second SOS Children's Village in the capital city Bujumbura, at the north eastern end of lake Tanganjika. The cooperation of the appropriate authorities was confirmed in 1990 when an agreement was signed with the government. Since attending school was not compulsory in Burundi and the availability of state schooling was correspondingly meagre, SOS Kinderdorf International made the decision to build appropriate education facilities. The first SOS Hermann Gmeiner School opened its gates in October 1985 in Bujumbura.

An SOS Medical Centre has been offering general medical care to the catchment area since 1992. Decisive for an increased effort by SOS Kinderdorf International in Burundi was the outbreak of civil war in 1994 in neighbouring Rwanda. As part of an emergency relief programme, temporary accommodation for orphans was created in the northern town of Muyinga. Subsequently, this temporary accommodation was made into a permanent facility - the third SOS Children's Village in Burundi. Young people on the way to self sufficiency find acceptance and nurturing in shared houses and this in turn supports them in their search for jobs.

The Burundi government suggested the construction of a fourth SOS Children's Village in southern Burundi, a region which was also hit hard by the war and which had high numbers of orphans. SOS families moved into SOS Children's Village Rutana and its additional facilities in November 2005. The success of SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country, which is now one of the poorest countries in the world, is due to the support that the Burundi government has provided.

Starting in 2004, SOS Children's Villages Burundi in collaboration with other NGOs took various steps to assist the needy population, especially persons affected by HIV/Aids, e.g. assistance with foodstuff, medical drugs, school fees, creation of self-help projects.

At present there are four SOS Children's Villages in Burundi as well as three SOS Youth Facilities, four SOS Kindergartens, four SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools, two SOS Medical Centres and four SOS Social Centres.

Contact:
Villages d'Enfants SOS du Burundi
BP 2003
Bujumbura
Burundi
tel. +257-22 223622
fax +257-22 211060