Burundi – World of Difference

Welcome to Burundi, where churches are treating malnutrition by making a nutritious porridge with local ingredients.

A smiling child wearing a green sweater, sitting in front of a reddish-brown textured wall. The design includes a stylized yellow map with a white line and a blue dot, and an illustration of a globe in the top-right corner, blending with the image.

A simplified world map with continents highlighted in yellow against a dark blue background. A blue location pin is placed on Burundi in East Africa.

A close-up map of East Africa with Burundi highlighted and labeled in black text. A blue location pin marks Burundi, while neighboring Tanzania is shaded in light gray and also labeled.

Where is Burundi?

Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley where the African Great Lakes region and East Africa converge. Because of its shape, Burundi is often called the heart of Africa.

Burundi in numbers

Slide 1 of 3: 52% of children under five are malnourished, which can lead to long-term health issues.

Slide 2 of 3: 597 churches have been supported by Tearfund partners to lead sustainable community development work.

Slide 3 of 3: 15 feeding centres have been established, in which 9,000 children received nutritional supplements.

52% of children under five are malnourished, which can lead to long-term health issues.
597 churches have been supported by Tearfund partners to lead sustainable community development work.
15 feeding centres have been established, in which 9,000 children received nutritional supplements.

Working in Burundi

Transforming lives in Songa Province, south-western Burundi.

Tearfund has been working in Burundi for more than 30 years: from 1993 to 2007, we provided emergency food and healthcare when the country was engulfed in civil war. In the aftermath, we have been helping families and communities rebuild.

But the climate crisis is hitting the country hard: heavy rains, high winds and long dry spells have become increasingly unpredictable and extreme. This threatens to push people back into poverty.

To prevent this happening, through local churches and partners, we have been training and helping communities to become self-sufficient by producing enough food and maintaining a balanced diet even in extreme weather conditions.

The miracle of porridge

‘I had so many battles to fight all at the same time,’ says Eularie. ‘But the hardest was malnutrition.’

A smiling woman and young girl standing in front of a red brick house with a wooden structure nearby. The woman wears a green blouse and patterned skirt, while the girl wears a black and white patterned dress. A stylized yellow map with a white line and a blue dot overlays part of the lower left corner.

Credit: Paul Mbonankira/Tearfund

Eularie faced the toughest time in her life seven years ago. Her youngest child, Cierra, was just over a year old. Then her world fell apart. Her beloved husband had an accident at work. There were complications, he became sick and sadly passed away.

As a skilled carpenter, her husband had brought in extra income while Eularie farmed to provide food. ‘Life was good,’ she says. ‘We had enough to feed our children and send them to school.

‘When my husband died, everything fell apart. I became the only breadwinner. We could only afford to eat once a day. Cierra was still a baby and she got very sick. I didn’t know what to do, I was afraid that I was going to lose her too.’

But Tearfund’s partner, the Anglican Diocese of Matana knew exactly what to do, and offered a simple, low-cost solution in the form of a nutritious porridge...

A composite image showing a child eating from a red cup in the foreground, sitting in front of a brick wall and wearing a patterned sweater. Above, an inset photo shows hands pouring flour into a red cup over a large metal bowl. A stylized yellow map with a white line and a blue dot overlays part of the lower right corner.

The porridge is made from locally-sourced, affordable ingredients.

The diocese had set up many feeding programmes in the area, working with local health centres to treat malnourished children. When Eularie brought Cierra to her local centre, the medical team identified her as a severe case and recommended that she be put on a special diet. The porridge they used to supplement Cierra’s food is enriched with nutrients to strengthen malnourished children, all sourced from local ingredients.

The team also advised Eularie about how to make sure her baby had all the nourishing food she needed to prevent malnutrition, which is caused not only by not enough food but also by a lack of diversity in the diet.

‘I didn’t know the importance of vegetables,’ says Eularie. ‘I would only cook sweet potatoes and beans for the children. If I grew vegetables in my plot, I would take those to the market to make money. Learning how to prepare a balanced meal was very important. Since we changed our diet – and with the miracle porridge – all my children are healthy.’

Eularie was overjoyed to see her baby turn the corner. ‘I was so happy when Cierra fully recovered. It was a victory, a turning point for me and my family. Life started getting better.’

A woman using a hoe in a green field surrounded by banana trees, wearing a bright green top and patterned skirt, with hills in the background.

A smiling girl sits at a table with a colorful cloth, holding a pen and writing in a notebook, wearing a patterned dress in a simple indoor setting.

Top: Left: Eularie now grows her own produce and raises goats for food and extra income. Bottom: Right: Now fully recovered from malnutrition, Cierra is thriving at school.

Cierra is now eight years old. She is healthy, happy and enjoying life, particularly learning new things at school. The Anglican Diocese of Matana has continued to support Eularie. She is part of a self-help group where people come together, inspire each other and save small amounts of money to support each other’s business ventures.

‘Joining the group gave me confidence,’ she says. ‘I can now do many activities. I have a kitchen garden and a plot where I grow vegetables and other crops. I have some livestock at home, and I am now a tailor. I was able to build my house on my own. My children and I made the bricks and we built it together with little support. I have learnt to do things on my own, and although taking care of the children is still not easy, we can live with dignity. My children are all in school.

‘I thank God for the blessing of waking up every morning with my family, and I pray for a good life for my children.’

‘I was so happy when Cierra fully recovered, it was a victory’

Drumming for peace and a better future

Burundian drums are large and heavy, made from hollowed-out tree trunks. Gishora Drums Sanctuary, near the city of Gitega, is keeping the country’s drumming tradition alive. It’s run by a local community of musicians called Abatimbo who also perform at national and international events. They wear the colours of the Burundian flag: red symbolising the struggle for independence, green representing hope for a better future and white, the colour of peace.

Traditional Burundian drumming at Gishora Drums Sanctuary.

A smiling man in a bright yellow shirt stands outdoors in a lush, hilly landscape. A stylized yellow map with a white line and blue dot overlays the top left corner.

The local church’s oh-so-simple answer to malnutrition

They call him the ‘the doctor’. Jean Bosco, who works for Tearfund local church partner the Anglican Diocese of Matana, teaches how to make the ‘miracle’ porridge that has saved many lives. Rather than importing ingredients, the porridge is made from locally-sourced maize, soybean, groundnut and palm oil, which is rich in vitamin A.

‘I believe in teaching someone how to fish,’ says Jean, ‘rather than giving them a fish. If you give someone a fish today, they will ask for more tomorrow. But if they know how to fish, they will learn and do it on their own. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with others.

‘Everyone should have the possibility to enjoy life in all its fullness. The role of the church is to support people spiritually, emotionally and physically. I love people, I love children. My utmost joy is seeing a child thrive who once was sick.’

A woman in a colorful patterned dress and a man in a yellow shirt serve food from a large pot into plates, standing in front of a red brick wall. Others observe in the background.

Credit: Paul Mbonankira/Tearfund

Daily bread, Burundi style

Uburobe is a delicious Burundian bread made from cassava, which is wrapped in banana tree leaves. It takes up to a week to prepare so most people buy uburobe. This makes it a good source of income if, like Jeanine, you have the time and skills to prepare it. She takes us through the steps of how to make this delicious accompaniment to vegetables and beans...

Hands holding a peeled and sliced piece of fruit, with a vibrant patterned fabric in the background and a green bowl nearby.

A woman wearing colorful clothing and a patterned headscarf prepares food in a traditional wooden trough, sitting indoors against a brick wall.

Close-up of a woman’s hands shaping dough on a green banana leaf, wearing vibrant patterned clothing, seated indoors against a textured wall.

A woman holding a bundle wrapped neatly in green banana leaves, wearing a colorful red and yellow patterned top and sitting indoors.

A family of five sits around a table covered with a white floral cloth, inside a simple room. The adults wear colorful clothing, while the children sit attentively on wooden benches.

Two plates of food on a white floral tablecloth: one with leafy greens and meat in a red sauce, and the other with slices of a white starchy dish.

We hope you feel blessed learning about lives transformed in Burundi. Soon we will take you to a new destination where your support is making a huge difference.

Where is Burundi?

Burundi in numbers

Working in Burundi

The miracle of porridge

Drumming for peace and a better future

The local church’s oh-so-simple answer to malnutrition

Daily bread, Burundi style

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Where is Burundi?

Burundi in numbers

Working in Burundi

The miracle of porridge

Drumming for peace and a better future

The local church’s oh-so-simple answer to malnutrition

Daily bread, Burundi style

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