I’ve had this melody looping through my head for the last few days.  It is a children’s song.   The chorus says: what have I done to deserve this, what have I done to deserve this?  You enter a word like “we have land while others don’t… what have we done to deserve this, what have we done to deserve this?”  or “we have food while others don’t… what have we done to deserve this, what have we done to deserve this?”  It is a song of great gratitude for gifts given, gifts that you know others do not have, gifts you know are about grace.

This song was sung to us one afternoon while sitting in the shade of the Matara gazebo.  An impromptu choir of children just began singing this song to us.  It was lovely and playful and we were entranced with the sheer cuteness of these kids.  But when the song was translated for us… we were silenced.  These children know they have good gifts – gifts that can only be accounted for by some great grace.

We know the grace comes from God – His love for these families, for these children.  He has blessed them with land, food, milk, cows, pigs, homes… the chorus rings true each and every time.  This was not the only time I heard this melody riding the breezes of Matara.  The children sang it often… “what have we done to deserve this?”

The song follows me down into the streets of Bujumbura.  I imagine it will graciously haunt me when I make my way back to Arizona.  I can sing it, too!  What have I done to deserve this… so much goodness, so much grace!

The Batwa women bringing handmade pots to us.

On this, the Matara community’s third anniversary, the women paraded forward with handmade pots to give.  They shared that this is an old Batwa tradition, to make clay pots, but that now no one has need of their handcrafted pottery.  In the past three years they have learned other things to make a living – agriculture, animal husbandry, soap making, shoe repair and even honey cultivation.

But the Batwa pots have come to mean something significant to us.  We cherish the tradition, the skill and the story that each hand-hewn pot tells about these people and especially these women.  We value what others might discard or miss because we have eyes to see our friends and see their worth.  We cherish each pot because it comes from the hands of these strong women.

So when these regal women stand before us with freshly fired pots, vessels we shaped together from clay just a day ago, we stand with the recognition that we are on holy ground.

Sherry receives her pot and embraces her friend.

Anna with a friend in her arms and a pot in her hand.

Carol caught in a hug that says more than a thousand words ever could.

Martha and Godis sharing a deep hug after making this pot together.

These clay pots made in Matara by our friends are more than a mere gift, they are symbols of connection.  Their Batwa story comes home with us, cradled in our hands through airport security checks, tight coach seating, customs and through the threshold of our homes.  We are careful to not let them be crushed, to shield them from crumbling under pressure, to ensure these pots make it home so that they may continue to tell the story of these strong, beautiful women.

These pots are ours to have and to hold for the long journey home and for years to come as a reminder of these strong women, our dear friends who have made visible to us deep goodness, neighborliness and love.

Our pots to have and to hold from this day forward.

We will return home with pots and stories to tell about these women whom we love.

We arrived at Matara just as the women gathered to go down to the fields… with extra tools for us!  So we spent a full morning working in two fields, tending to the potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Ready to work… smiles and all!

The ladies seem quite entertained by Carol and Anna!

Martha has done this before…

We also had moments of playfulness – bubbles, jump ropes, frisbees and the constant fun of cameras and videos shared together.

Sherry was entrusted with little Patrick while mama went to her home.

Carol learning neighborhood games… she can teach you when she gets back home!

Martha demonstrates bubbles for the kids.

The mamas loved playing with the bubbles, too!

Cuteness… they are just irresistible!

Then there were moments when the kids broke into impromptu song – which just melted our hearts.

Showering us with songs… “what have we done to deserve this goodness” was the content of the serenade.

A grand finale… one last set of songs for us to enjoy.

So it was a day where we worked hard, played hard, were showered with songs and undeniable cuteness!  More goodness on The Mountain of Love.  We all drove down the rural roads with a song in our heart… what have we done to deserve this goodness?

Last week Kazoza Finance opened it’s doors to the public, offering basic banking services to the community at large.  This was the next step forward in our dream of identifying and cultivating local business people who could become the future leaders in their neighborhood, providing services and employment to their neighbors.

Kazoza began years ago, a micro-finance project of World Vision.  But in the past year they handed off their entire portfolio to us, hoping we could redeem the parts that were not working and continue to offer small loans to the poor of the city.  So for the last year that is what we’ve done; we re-trained the staff, re-structured the processes and took a waning loan portfolio and increased the capital by over 250%.  Hard work, but good work.

Offering small loans to local people helps them access a little capital so that they can begin a  small business – maybe selling fruits, a kiosk for bike repairs, a carpentry shop or a small bakery.  Every so often, if they are faithful with repayment, they are eligible for slightly larger loans when they dream of expanding their business – adding new products, increasing their market space or hiring some staff.  Small loans allow people to try and generate some family income.
What we noticed is that these business people, even when successful, are still creating small amounts of cash, just enough to live on and maybe enough to save small bits here and there.  But the amounts are still considered very insignificant by local banking standards.  This means that these business people cannot take advantage of the banks that are peppered throughout the city because they do not have enough money to meet the basic threshold for opening an account.  And if they do have ample cash, they cannot sustain the minimum amount required by the bank at all times plus pay the monthly fees.  So there is a gap between small micro-loans and entry into the banking system for the working poor.

This is why we are so excited to, at long last, open a bank that is designed for the working poor!  Now anyone who has a valid identity card and $10.00 can open their own bank account.  These business people can have a savings account, even a checking account with their own checkbook.  For someone who has been shut out of the banking system all her life, this is a huge reversal.  Now she can have a safe place to deposit her money, she can write a check and she even has a personal banker!

For these men and women Kazoza Finance is another step forward in their ability to access banking services as they grow their businesses and manage their households.  But Kazoza is something more – it is offering dignity to these hard working people.  Now there is a bank that sees them, recognizes their needs and is committed to helping them move forward into a better future.  Kazoza means future… and that is what we are hoping to help build as we collaborate with them, a better future for their families and their neighborhoods.

So last week was a grand opening.  We opened our doors not just to our Kazoza micro-fiance clients, but to all the working poor in Bujumbura who wanted to open a bank account.  By the end of the week over 140 new accounts were opened!

But the real celebration is each account – because each single account opened represents a family, a business, a community that now has a financial partner by their side.  The true grand opening… is the grand opening of each one of those bank accounts.  We are looking forward to Monday, where the grand openings continue!

You are, no doubt, familiar with Claude.  He is the man behind Communities of Hope.  Claude is a man of vision, compassion and a robust sense of humor.  He believes that Jesus brings good news for us today – and His good news transforms landscapes and lives here on earth.  He is passionate about community development work happening in Matara, Bubanza and with the potential of micro-finance to address the local economy for the working poor in Bujumbura.

One Claude, very good news.

Many of you have met Little Claude when you traveled to Burundi.  He has been with us from the beginning, right out of university where he completed his degree in agriculture.  He was been working with the Batwa families in Matara tirelessly for years.  He does not just teach people to plant seeds in soil, he plants his own heart into them as they work together.   He is taking the lead on the Bubanza community development effort with a new group of friends.  With a characteristic smile and giggle, he works long days with great effort and joy and heart!

Two Claudes, very good news!

Now we’d like to introduce you to Big Claude… really!

Recently we took over a struggling micro finance program from World Vision and we are in the process of turning it around and transitioning into a Community Bank for the working poor. For that to happen, we needed a seasoned leader, an experienced manager and a tested banker. We found those three key attributes in yet another Claude!  We call him Big Claude around here so that we don’t get confused with medium Claude and especially Little Claude.  Claude Bitariho comes to us with 10 years of commercial banking experience, theological background and some microfinance experience.

We have great hopes and dreams on the potential of Kazoza Finance as we seek to promote community entrepreneurs who create jobs and grow the local economy. This will be the innovation that Big Claude leads for Communities of Hope.

Three Claudes, really good news!

These three men share more than a strong (and popular) name, they share a confidence that God is at work transforming Burundi with His good news!  They seem to enjoy working together… whenever they are actually in the same place at the same time.

We are grateful for all three Claudes.  They really make Communities of Hope move forward in partnership with the poor, fueled by the love of Jesus.

Lack of a birth certificate in Burundi means that you cannot take your child to the local clinic for healthcare – even though the country offers free treatment for all children five and under.  If you cannot prove your child was born in Burundi and is a citizen, the care is not extended to you regardless of how ill your child is when you arrive at the clinic doorstep.

Other mothers can take their children to the clinic – but not you.

Other children can be seen by the nurse – but not yours.

Other families can access basic treatment – but not your family.

So sickly children languish, day by day.  If they get bitten by a mosquito and get malaria they are unable to get immediate care and, day by day, the untreated disease becomes life threatening.  If a child catches a common cold or flu that goes unchecked (in combination with already poor nutrition) then, day by day, her health diminishes.  If he is born premature or has a hard birth there is no medical care given and so the baby struggles, day by day, to live.  Each day the most vulnerable children in the community fight to survive and are lovingly tended by their mothers, but without medical care the odds    are against them.

I have been told by Claude and Little Claude, the two men on the front lines with the community of Bubanza, that there are too many funerals among them.  Most days when they visit, there is another burial and most often, it is a small child who did not make it to see their fifth birthday.

What we know is that each life is precious to God; each one carries His very image.  So when we look into these deep brown eyes, we know we are gazing at Christ, and we are summoned to action on behalf of Him and the children He loves.

So day by day, we have been working to secure birth certificates for the children of Bubanza.  The first priority was to to get the certificates for the most vulnerable children.

Today is a happy day… because the first batch of 100 birth certificates were delivered to the mothers of these frail but fighting children!  Look at this mama’s smile… those birth certificates in her hand are good news for her and her family!

Little Claude organized all the parents as prepared to hand out the certificates.  He shared with them that he had been visiting the nearby clinic in the past few weeks, preparing them for the arrival of the Bubanza babies.  He and Claude visited the clinic this very morning to ensure that they had a full staff on hand for tomorrow morning when all these mothers would come, birth certificates in hand, with their children for medical care.

You can see here a couple of the groups that got their birth certificates today…

Day by day, their lives are getting better.  Trees planted, desks delivered, identity cards issued and an elementary school under construction.  But today the good news cuts to the very heart of every parent, of every community because today birth certificates were given to their beloved children.  And that means, among other things, that tomorrow their children will be able to get much needed medical care.  So their children are on the road to becoming stronger… as well as now becoming fully recognized citizens of their country.

A song keeps playing in my head… Day by Day.  It goes like this:

Day by day, day by day

Oh Lord, three things I pray:

To see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly

Day by day.

I believe this is our song today, in all it’s simplicity.  We have seen Him more clearly in the eyes of the most vulnerable, we have loved Him more dearly as we have reached out to help those who are sick as He always did and we have followed Him more nearly as we have embraced the children He always welcomed!  We all do this together, whether in Texas or Burundi.  We do it as we pray, support, champion and remember our friends in Bubanza because we are all part of the same team, the same family!  Day by day we are, together with our friends in Bubanza, making God’s dream for the world come true!

And tomorrow morning… she is going to be walking three miles to the local clinic with her baby to get care.  She won’t be walking alone… And that little clinic is going to see a steady stream of Bubanza babies coming day by day!

Before he even made his way to the top of the mountain he felt the ground shaking and he heard the drumming. When Claude stepped on the Matara road he saw the dancing had already begun, everyone in their best attire and singing with such full-throttled joy. No one was waiting for him, waiting for the certificates to arrive or the teacher. The celebration could not wait, their accomplishment had to be celebrated right now in the morning sun!

It was six months ago that the adults of Matara kissed their children good-bye for a day at school and then stepped into their own classroom. Twenty three men and women were willing to try to do something they’d never done before… learn to read and write. Some had terrible memories of attempts at school before, when they were ridiculed out of the classroom by students and teachers alike. Some recall not being able to go often enough to learn anything due to circumstances at home. Others just never got the chance to ever try. But that morning they met their teacher and decided to try to learn.

Today they were all dancing… even while they were not all graduating. So much happens in the life of a community over six months: homes build, crops planted and harvested, cows and rabbits to tend, pregnancies and little ones to care for and… and.. Not everyone could maintain the study required for this level one literacy training. But today they all gathered to celebrate the 7 who completed the class and who passed the final exam. Everyone knew that this was a huge accomplishment that demanded a communal party!

So here is your graduating class: Jean Bosco, Jean Claude, Nathaniel, Leonie, Didace, Francois and Rita.

All of these friends completed level one literacy training. They can now read, write and do simple math. Practically speaking, they can read the signs! They can do math in the marketplace and basic accounting for their businesses. Imagine what this means for Francois, the community leader, for Nathaniel as he represents all of Matara before the governor of the province, for the men who run their soap enterprise, for the Leonie as she does her pottery business and Rita as she bargains in the marketplace? Imagine what this means for the entire community – they now have members who can read and write! This empowers all of them and is another big blow to the vulnerability they used to embody. Literacy is their new strength!

Here are the proud graduates with their certificates. (We take the space to show all seven as each one is a story of great endurance, hard work and catalytic accomplishment.)

(Learning to read and write and do math is hard work. Imagine doing that with a baby on your hip? Leonie and Rita did just that! Talk about strength… you have to admire these woman!)

So what is next for the literacy arc in Matara? The graduates will progress to level two training. Now all the other friends want to try again, so there will be level one training offered again. And this time… they have invited the neighbors to join them! So once again the blessings that come to Matara grow and include the entire neighborhood. Next term there will be two levels of training, multiple classes and many students working together to become stronger.

But for today – we dance! We celebrate the accomplishment of seven men and women who passed the test and can now read, write and do math. We celebrate a community that is less vulnerable because they can read and do the math. We celebrate the good news that they are blessed and a blessing to the larger neighborhood, turning their village into a learning center for all who would come.

Wherever you are… dance! Join in their celebration!

The Batwa people are known for their pots – it is a skill set and trade unique to their tribe. This was the way Batwa made a small income generations ago, making pots that others used for cooking and carrying. But now the markets are flooded with cheap plastic containers and other varieties of cooking options from China, making the Batwa pots obsolete. Now the pots represent part of the Batwa heritage, a relic of their past.

But the Batwa still make pots, if only to express a tradition that remains deep in their bones. To shape a pot is to shape the on-going story of the Batwa. To fire a pot is to consider the fires they continue to go through. To make a pot is to make their life rich with memory and meaning. But there is not much use for these vessels anymore.

Recently a friend of ours approached Claude and asked if he could help her with a project. Dada is an interior decorator in the city of Bujumbura and is often called upon to oversee the decor for renovated hotels, new restaurants and private homes. She pulls her inspiration from Burundian traditions, preferring to use local materials and items for her designs. So she told Claude she wanted to use Batwa pots – but needed his help to resource them.

Claude immediately thought of our friends in Matara, hands that make pots from memory and for memory-keeping, he thought that there could be a new purpose for their skills. Here was the idea… make the pots but with tiny holes that could let light escape. Dada had a decor item in mind that could create ambience, akin to a candle, yet showcase a Burundian artifact, a Batwa story.

So Claude connected Dada with Leonie (a strong woman who is one of the community leaders). And pot-making began in earnest.
Dada’s first two orders had Leonie making multiple pots a day, a slow and time-consuming process. So Leonie invited her Batwa sisters in Matara to help her fill these orders.

Leonie decided to use a simple nail to create the tiny holes for this custom order of Batwa pottery.

Thus far she and her Matara sisters have made over 80 custom pots. Right now they are working in filling Dada’s most recent request for 60 more – they have 30 done and 30 more to go! It is standard for these large rounded pots to sell for about $3 each – a small price for the labor intensive work. But these custom pots fetch a better price now – $12 per pot! This is Leonie’s first business enterprise ever. She is now in charge of a small cottage industry that is indigenous to her, reviving the tradition of Batwa pottery for a new purpose and a new cliental.

It is lovely to see two Burundian women, Dada and Leonie, working together to create something new. They are partners now with mutual respect for one another. And together they are filling the most beautiful spaces in Bujumbura with Batwa pottery!

It might be hard to see in this photo… the lights shining through the nail-pierced holes. But Claude says it shines and creates a stunning ambience, especially when Dada clusters them together in her own way. Clients love them. So far the Batwa custom pots are in several local establishments – and the demand is just beginning! Claude tells me that there is a certain kind of pride he feels when he enters a room where the repurposed pottery is on display. He knows the hands that shaped, fired and made those pots. He knows the Batwa relics are being given fresh life in their city. He knows that women are making their pots with purpose again, reclaiming a bit of their own story with each hand-shaped vessel.