Category Archives: Batwa of Burundi

New Year’s for COH!

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Friends ~

We stand on the threshold of a new year. There’s much to anticipate and welcome with the dawn of 2013. But we begin by remembering the work of 2012.
This past year brought such great progress in Bubanza. We worked alongside 660 families in a holistic community development project and witnessed great strides forward for young and old, alike. There’s an elementary school under construction. But even before the doors have opened the single class has grown to multiple classes with multiple teachers and a student body of over 300 children. (This really eclipses the single school room with 16 students we met in week one of this partnership!) In 2012 we were able to secure identity cards for all the adult men and women of the community! This is the year they became citizens of their country with access to legal protection, government representation and the dignity of belonging. We also discovered (and verified) that there is water beneath the land of Bubanza. So under the dry dirt is clean water, a fact that is good news to this parched community. So much to celebrate!
The steps forward in education, sanitation and human rights created true momentum within the community. Hope is growing as the families see changes unfolding and begin living into some new realities on the ground. We’re all excited for 2013 and what will continue to happen as we work together. We anticipate opening the elementary school, we expect to dig several wells in the community and we won’t stop advocating until each child has a proper birth certificate and access to healthcare.
The other big news of 2012 is the opening of Kazoza Community Bank. We’ve taken a fragile micro-loan program inherited from another NGO and transitioned it into a credentialed community bank within the Burundian banking system. Now the working poor can, for the first time, access basic banking for their families and their businesses. This is more than small loans, it’s access to a bank account with a checkbook and a personal banker. We’re also offering mentoring for the business-minded among the clients, helping them step up to the next level of business skill. We see business leaders who are creating valuable services for their communities and employing their neighbors and we want to invest in them so they can expand their good work in the community. This is how economies grow!
In 2013 we hope to enlarge our mentoring program for local business leaders and innovators so that we can see local economies really stimulated and moving forward for all the families in the neighborhood. We’re excited to invite investors to partner with Kazoza in offering loans to local businessmen and women, confident they will reap great benefits while their money proves catalytic for the Burundian economy.
Matara continues to be a happy place for us. Our Batwa friends remain faithful in their local leadership roles spanning education, government representation and community mediation. The children of the village are robust – they perform well in school, they’re growing strong and playing hard. Babies born this year are healthy and all the mothers have survived childbirth. Businesses are growing in Matara, livestock is increasing and crops continue to grow with nutritional goodness. We visit Matara and just smile… God has transformed this land and these lives. In 2013 we imagine they will become local spokespeople for tangible transformation, teaching others how to bring about positive change in their villages, too.
We are so grateful that so many of you have shared this year with us. You’ve followed our Facebook Page and kept up with weekly stories. You’ve prayed with us and for us. We are so humbled that many of you have given to help these friends – with desks for schools, identify cards for women, towards wells and school supplies and so much more. Some have even traveled to be with us, sharing in the celebration dances like SheLoves women from Canada, COF friends from Texas and Amahoro friends from the West and all over Africa! We love being in this hope-filled work together, to be in solidarity with our Burundian friends and global friends all at once. We are moving forward toward that grand vision a la Isaiah 41 for transformed land and lives!
Thank you for walking (and dancing) with us in 2012. We hope to be sharing in the work, prayer and joyful celebrations into the next year. Let’s anticipate schools, wells, bigger loans, more banking accounts opened and more transformation in 2013!
Happy New Year from Communities of Hope!

a school in transition

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Mrs.Josepine, headmaster of Bubanza school.

Meet Mrs. Josephine… the new headmaster at the primary school in Bubanza. While she is not the first, but she is the first to come the long way from the road to the small adobe classrooms at the edge of the community. She’s the first one to have a small office on site, giving her heart and presence to the children of this community.

Each day she works hard to oversee a school in transition. Twelve months ago there were sixteen students in one weathered classroom sitting on stones. Now there are 427 boys and girls, many sitting at desks!

These are some of the issues Mrs.Josephine tends to as she moves the school forward this season:

  1. She’s creating more classroom space. Right now there are two adobe classrooms with desks. We’ve now converted the covered meeting space into two large classrooms using tarps. These makeshift classrooms hold 36 fifth-graders in one and 46 sixth-graders in another. It’s not ideal, but an interim solution until the school next door is complete, funded and staffed for the next academic year.
  2. She’s visiting parents weekly to discuss things like attendance, parent involvement and stirring their hopes for what a good education means to their children. Even enrolled students have a hard time attending class daily due to chores like water-fetching and babysitting younger siblings. Mrs. Josephine pleads with parents to not disrupt the learning rhythm for their students, helping them see the long-term benefits of showing up to class every day. She tells them that living off of handmade pottery is a thing of the past, now their kids must be bike-makers and even car-makers to thrive. And, she emphasizes, school and studies are the prerequisites they need to enter those industries.
  3. She’s encouraging the teachers in Bubanza to be better teachers. She supervises daily, ensuring classes start and time and don’t let out too soon. We’ve noticed there is more class time now. She also resources the teachers, supports them and inspires them as educators. The morale of the teachers has increases exponentially with her loving attention to them and their students.

We’ve come a long way from sixteen kids sitting on stones. Now the school is bursting at the seams with children eager to learn. They see the school under construction and they want to be a part of that future, so enduring the interim season is all part of the growing pains for them. They are fine with it because they see the classrooms where they’ll be next year, they know the teachers will be there and Mrs.Josephine will be there, too. If she can do all this with a makeshift office and some tarps – imagine what she’ll do with classrooms, chalkboards, desks and more teachers?

Hope is bubbling up in Bubanza – Mrs.Josephine and 427 children all have tasted it! They’re ALL IN!

Bubanza school under construction…

Innovators in health & hygiene

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- Joelle Inashaka & Kelley Nikondeha

How often are the Batwa in Burundi asked to attend an international conference, let alone asked to stand up and be applauded? Salvator and Francois from Matara lived this experience this week in the capital of Bujumbura. Both men were invited to the 3rd regional ACECI conference focused on malaria awareness.

Unbeknownst to the public, for the past year the community in Matara has been participating in a pilot project on the cultivation of the catnip (also known as ‘catmint’) plant. This plant possesses essential oils that have mosquito-repelling properties. The hope is that production of this plant and extraction of the oil could aid in malaria prevention in the region.

Matara community was selected for the pilot project because it met the three basic criteria.The village was comprised of a disadvantaged community. It was a well-organized village and able to collaborate with the local governmental authorities. Lastly, the community had land available to cultivate for the catnip experiment.

The good news is that the harvest was strong resulting in a successful project.  Although the project will be expanding to in the neighboring Commune of Nyabiraba, where 5 hectares will be cultivated, there are other good outcomes.

  • The success of the project means that Burundi will start producing it’s own natural insect repellent at affordable costs.
  • The residents of the Nyabiraba, of which Matara is a part, will have new work opportunities in the fields cultivating the catnip and in the extraction process of the essential oils.
  • There are new prospects to pioneer a new kind of soap. Francois and Salvator got to attend a short training on making soap using catnip, eucalyptus and citronella based oils. A perfumed soap with the added insect repellent properties would be so beneficial for the people of this region in terms of health and hygiene.

How wonderful that innovative agriculture and malaria prevention remedies were piloted on the soil of Matara. How great that our community leaders were given the opportunity to share their learning and contribute to national solutions. How amazing that our friends are pioneers, advancing good health with local made products in their own soap shop!

In Isaiah the prophet says that when we return and commit to rebuilding our cities, we infuse them with hope and we are given a new name: ‘repairer of the breach, restorer of the streets where people live.’ Isn’t that what’s happening in Matara? Our friends are restoring the streets, making the region a better (and healthier) place to live!

 

 

But now… Batwa students reflect on progress

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Nadine, Eric, Severin, Jean Claude, Emelyne, Reverien & Janine

- by Joelle Inashaka
I recently visited with some secondary school students in Matara – a very energetic bunch of boys and very giggly girls.
They all look forward to a brighter future as educated Batwa. For the moment, the majority seem to enjoy their French and English classes, except Eric and Janine who prefer the sciences. Of the seven, three want to become school teachers while the remaining four want to further their studies in university. Reverien wants to become a lawyer to defend the Batwa’s rights, Jean Claude who is very soft spoken wants to become a paramedic, Eric wants to become a geographer, and Janine hasn’t quite decided what she wants to be in the science field.
We talked about student life in Matara now, compared to when they first came.
The first thing they quickly jumped to say was that they used to be called ‘Batwa’ in a derogatory way. But now they feel like when someone calls out ‘Mutwa’, it’s usually in complimentary fashion. They are proud to be Batwa.
It used to hurt that Tutsi or Hutu children never wanted to be their friends. But now they’re friendlier and even visit friends’ families without worry. This seemed excite the boys quite a bit.
They recalled their first days on the school campus, walking with heads low, as they stood out as the ‘Batwa in school’. Both teachers and fellow students mocked them as they saw no academic potential in them, thinking it was a waste of school fees. But now they are known to be high performing students, and even tutor fellow classmates.
They remember living in poorer homes and villages, but now enjoy living in well sheltered homes. The improved homes provide better conditions for studying, they all agreed. Now they aren’t ashamed of where they live. 
These students are hardworking; each one hopeful that they will provide better for their own children someday. One thing that they all shared was that they knew that it was by God’s grace that they are where they are today.

Business Boom

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The industrious spirit is alive and well in Matara – spilling over from the mountain-top village  down to the street. Alongside the main road connecting Bujumbura and Ijenda our friends built a collection of kiosks to bring their business closer to the action.

They wanted to make their goods and services more accessible. They wanted to ensure they were seen. They also thought building and owning their own structure was a good investment – no more renting from others.

Benjamin makes shoes out of tires. He also repairs shoes of all sorts. He has little overhead and lots of energy. He offers great customer service – such a welcoming smile and eagerness to serve.

Jean Bosco opened a traditional kiosk stocked with sundries and such. Folks from the mountains don’t need to traipse all the way down the road to get some casava flour, sugar or composition books for school. Friends who want some peanuts or a Fanta don’t have to wait for market day – the kiosk is open everyday! Bringing basic goods closer to the Matara neighbors is good business.

Right next door is the Matara Soap Shop where locally made soap can be purchased.

These friends decided together to construct the kiosks. Without asking for a loan, they simply started to save and plan. They provided their own labor increasing their sense of ownership and pride. And together they stocked their stores and opened their doors for business.

Setting up shop together has been a great business strategy for these friends. They dreamed, planned, saved, built and launched this venture together. They showcase what is best in Africa – initiative, togetherness, goods and services that benefit the local community.

Through the lens of community development this is a huge success because we didn’t build it – they did! They didn’t ask permission – because they know this land belongs to them. They advanced their businesses because this is how they support their families – their own work, not NGO hand-outs. This is when (our) less is more!

Theologically speaking it’s a success because a viable and vibrant community has taken hold. The collaboration of friends speaks to a mutual respect that God instructs us to live out together. Their resourcefulness and productivity points to the Proverbs which praise practical wisdom and work that benefit community life. God’s at work in the kiosks, too!

Business is booming! There are smiles all around.

September Surprise

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September is a hard in Burundi. Most parents struggle to afford school uniforms, supplies and tuition for their children. Banks offer special back to school loans to help parents afford all the necessities. Employed parents ask bosses for advances on their salary so they can pay fees and purchase goods. Families can expect to lend and borrow money from each other to cover costs for all the children, each and every cousin that can afford to go to school.

Can you imagine – taking a loan or a pay advance to purchase back to school supplies for your kids? Sounds absurd to our western ears, but this defines the September struggle for Burundian parents.

But this September our friends in Matara received a great surprise – school supplies! In an effort to give this community a boost our friends showed support for the school children and solidarity with the parents by donating all the necessary goods to fill each backpack. Pencils, composition books, erasers – all given to bring some economic relief and a long distance high-five to all the kids ready to go back to school.

It’s hard to tell who was happier – the kids or the mamas! But really, everyone was thrilled to get tools for learning delivered to their doorstep. Godis, the Educator-in-Chief, stood especially tall and especially proud as her community (and family) got out-fitted. (Godis is the equivalent of the PTA president for the entire Matara region, a leader in local education.) Something so simple communicates so much, allowing people to celebrate school and not worry about the pocketbook so much.

There are 20 new students this year – all entering the first grade together and beginning their school career. These children were all about 2 years old when they came to Matara – now they are entering school as a normal part of life. It is a new generation, indeed!

As Joseph organized the supplies, parents took time to pray for their children, the young students. Education matters in Matara and parents asked God to bless teach child with discipline, intelligence and kindness for the school days ahead.

School starts on Monday. The children of Matara are ready! What a great September surprise.

 

Jean Bosco : 50 cents and so much more

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Anna & Jean Bosco in Matara this summer

As I sat under the pavilion laced with vines and beautifully tied flowers blowing in the cool wind, I thought “what a celebration!” For me, a celebration of being blessed to have known my sweet Batwa friends for two years; for the Batwa, a celebration of 3 years of life on the mountain of love. The place where God has been working alongside them creating opportunities, one after another.

For Jean Bosco it was a day of celebrating freedom. As he stood before his Texas friends his face beamed with glory for the accomplishments he has made in his life. Sharply dressed, in his best, he told a story of when he made 50 cents a month – a story of not knowing how he would end up, a story of slavery and abandonment. A story of sadness changed to a story of growth into a world of prosperity and happiness. Jean Bosco went on to tell us that every month, with his 50 cents, he would walk to buy soap so his master would not complain of his odor. But now, look at him now! He smiled and laughed as he said obviously his appearance alone was worth much more than a mere half dollar.

At that time, I saw a man with a heart worth much more than any monetary value could possess. I saw a heart filled with Jesus, pride, love and excitement for what the future may bring. A heart that gives all of us hope and peace in knowing that alongside God, we can do anything!

We can be anything and that no matter who we are, Batwa or Texans, God will never forget us. We are his people and we will not be forgotten.

— Guest post by Anna Womac

A Day of Celebration

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Playing with bubbles on the eve of the third year celebration.

As we celebrate July 4th and our many freedoms, what replays in my mind is the recent celebration in Matara.  Our Batwa friends gathered on a clear afternoon to commemorate 3 years of life in this new place, on this new land, among these new neighbors.

I wanted to share what it means to them – in their words.

“Even the angels will be surprised that the Batwa have arrived…”  A chorus of children danced and sang this freshly written song which belied even their own surprise at having arrived to such a state of fruition!  What a picture – angels whirling in the throughs of excitement and utter delight as the Batwa families parade across the mountains of Matara.

“It has been 3 years and no one has died,”  announced Salvator as he initiated the string of celebratory speeches.  The opening words rang like a headline – and everyone cheered wildly.  It is precarious to be Batwa.  You can easily die due to sickness, violence, harsh labor, weakness due to malnutrition and dirty water.  But young and old have thrived since their arrival to Matara – not a single one has died.  It is a bold statement about a new quality of life, a change in the course of their history.

“I always dreamed to have my own home… now look at my home!  It is mine and not built for anyone else!” Benjamin pointed to his very own home, made with his own hands and the help of his friends.  There was such pride in his voice as he told his personal tale of grand reversal from being a slave to becoming a home-owner and businessman.

“Giving birth was a problem instead of a celebration for us.  But it has been three years and no mother has died, no babies have died!” Leonie shared from her mother’s heart.  The plight for Batwa women was especially hard, the maternal and infant mortality rates particularly high, death during childbirth commonplace.  But a new song rises, and now each birth is good news and each child has a good name.

“I used to get paid 50 cents a month, but look at me, now the clothes I am wearing today are worth so much more than a mere 50 cents.”  Jean Bosco modeled his clothes as a testament to his new stature in life.  No longer a slave with money only for soap, now he is a community elder and business leader.  Now he creates income enough to support his family and give generously to his neighbors.

“Remember what God did.  Never forget what God did.  Today we will remember and celebrate the peace, love and joy at Matara.”  Nathaniel, village pastor and elected government representative, shared from the story of Moses.  In a passage that remains formative for this community, he told them again to remember where they came from, what God delivered them from and encouraged them (like the Hebrews before them) to live well nourished by those memories of God’s provision.

“I didn’t think I’d live this long but look at me – strong as ever!” Francois shouted with such joy!  Batwa men do not expect to live long.  But Francois has beat the odds with good food grown on the fertile hills of Matara, fresh water, milk from the cows and security in his village.  He celebrates his strength and is a picture of strength for this community.

These are the words from the Batwa families of Matara on their 3rd anniversary.  They celebrate the freedom of living well by God’s grace.  They celebrate living well due to their interdependence on one-another.  They celebrate living well because they have friends abroad who know them and care for them.

 

 

A reflection from a friend, Brian McLaren

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Brian returns to Matara with friends.

Recently our friend, Brian McLaren, joined an international group of friends from Amahoro Africa on the trek up to Matara.  This was not his first visit to the mountain, he has been coming periodically from the start in 2008.  We asked him to share his reflections after this latest visit to Matara and the newer project in Bubanza.

Burundi has a special place in my heart … the beauty of the people and their culture, the green and fertile land, the red soil, the beauty of Lake Tanganyika, the tragic yet resilient history, and the faces of friends have drawn me back again and again. In May I had the privilege of participating in the Amahoro Gathering in Bujumbura, with the mountains of Eastern Congo to our west and the hills of Burundi to our east and the great lake stretching south.

I always feel ambivalent speaking at these gatherings. On the one hand, I want to serve and offer any encouragement and insight I can. On the other hand, I sincerely feel I have more to learn from than to share with my African friends, and I am keenly aware of the problems of white non-African guys talking too much in Africa. So, although I did speak, I spent nearly all the rest of the time listening to and learning from my African friends. As well, I had the privilege of hearing Ruth Padilla DeBorst share from a Latin American perspective – this cross-pollination is extremely important and valuable.

And I had the chance to witness some of the beautiful projects unfolding there as an expression of faith in Christ. African led, with important financial partnership from the US and the UK, these projects are downright inspiring as well as instructive.

On my first visit to Burundi, I met three men of the Twa (formerly known as Pygmy) tribe. I heard their stories – how their people had endured centuries of landlessness, being deprived of basic human rights, being excluded from education and health care, being targets of prejudice. At the end of the gathering, they pulled me aside and asked if I would make a vow never to forget them and to try to help them. In subsequent visits, friendships with the Batwa have grown as I’ve had the chance to visit some Twa villages and see the sub-human living conditions first-hand.

In recent years, I’ve had the privilege of seeing a beautiful project take shape to help the Batwa. My friends Claude and Kelley Nikondeha, with support from a wise and generous church in the US, were able to help a group of 27 Batwa families acquire their own land in a place called Matara. They secured the expertise of another gifted Burundian (also named Claude) who helped them with state-of-the-local-art agricultural know-how. A nearby Catholic convent has provided additional support – with a school and health clinic. And so Matara, the first of many anticipated “Communities of Hope,” is taking shape.

Seeing Matara this time was more inspiring than ever. The land is being well-cared-for as it is gradually developed and farmed. Beans, corn, cassava, cabbage, elephant grass, trees … pigs, cows, rabbits … homes, a meeting structure, a latrine, and a water supply … all come together in a beautiful community of grateful and hope-filled people. Joyful dancing, exuberant singing, clapping, foot-stopping, and jubilant testimonies tell the story of people who were homeless, landless, hungry, despised, and vulnerable … but now are living the lives human beings were meant to live. They’ve even created their own village council – a beautiful example of grass-roots democracy, and they’ve earned the respect of the Hutu and Tutsi people living nearby.

The gift of soap, made in Matara as one of the local enterprises.

We also visited Bubanza – a larger area where the government has been allowing Batwa  (as well as Tutsis and Hutus in need) to settle. The physical location leaves a lot to be desired. The land is not well-suited to farming. There is no local water supply, which requires children to spend hours each day fetching water for drinking and cooking. Without much water, hygiene is a problem. And it’s a long walk to a market, clinic, or job.

Barren Bubanza landscape.

With thousands rather than hundreds of people making Bubanza their new home, the feel in Bubanza is more like an IDP camp than a sustainable farming village. Yet there is hope in the air, amidst all the chaotic energy of laughing children and shushing adults …

The traditional dirt-floor grass huts of landless people are giving way to sticks-and-mud homes with thatch roofs, which in turn give way to mud-brick homes with tin roofs and cement floors, and for this reason alone, the people feel this is a big step up from where they were before, living as  vulnerable squatters.

Donatilla claims to be ‘unstoppable’ now that she has her identity card!

The good people of Communities of Hope have stepped into these challenging conditions. Bubanza now has a teacher and a social worker. They are helping Batwa people – especially women and little girls – get ID cards, which entitle them to the legal protections of citizenship and health care. Classrooms are being built – not enough for all the children of the village, but enough for a good start so that education becomes a desirable option that all can aspire to and eventually attain.

School currently under construction in Bubanza.

Matara and Bubanza show creative and loving responses to different needs and opportunities. And that’s what it takes – whether in Africa or anywhere else – to make a difference in our world: creativity and love … two of the prime characteristics of God, revealed in Christ, and embodied in Communities of Hope and the people who build them.

Matara, at long last!

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Francois greets the ladies at the site of the new roadside shops.

We just pulled off the road and the cars stopped.  We were told to get out.  There was already something to see… new roadside shops constructed just last week by our Matara business people.  We were immediately greeted by Bosco, showing his grocery shop.  Then Benjamin showing his shoe repair shop and then the shop that would sell Matara soaps to the community at large.  It was so great to see the expansion of their businesses right there on the street, but more exciting to reunite with friends we recognized – and who recognized us, too!  Francois came down and instantly remembered Anna and Martha!

Anna and Martha reunite with friends.

As we walked further in, we found all the mamas waiting to embrace us. Anna and Martha found familiar faces right away, and you could hear Anna saying, “we told you we’d come back, we told you we’d come back.’  Promises kept are sweet… and extra powerful on this soil.

Bosco breaking out into a song of greeting.

Bosco broke into impromptu song, leading the others.  The song made us all smile and sway – and cry when it was translated.  ”Welcome to the mountain of love.”  They sang it over and over, as if to soak our hearts in that love, in the truth of the great love that has shaped them over the past three years.

There is too much goodness to capture in one post, but here are two other highlights.  Our women were invited, for the first time, to help make pots with their Batwa friends.  I think there were squeals of excitement when they learned that the opportunity was extended to them by their friends…

Forming friendships and pots!

Carol and Sarafina talk clay.

Martha and Godis work side by side.

Delphine tries to help Sherry save her pot!

Leonie is proud of the handiwork she and Anna created together.

Then there was the annual Matara tradition – the color palooza with the families!  Everyone gets in the action once the coloring books and crayons come out…

Mamas color…

Papas color…

Children color, too!

Coloring everywhere they can… Carol, too!

Anna is surrounded… everyone with crayons in hand.

So much goodness in one day, it is hard to do it all justice.  When you go up the mountain of love you know how you feel when you come down – loved!  We are all drenched in love – and cannot wait to return tomorrow.  Maybe we’ll actually get some work done… lol!