Because of You…
Young people in the war-torn country of Burundi are being reached with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Because of the genocide there most everyone has heard of Rwanda, but few know about its neighbor Burundi, whose civil war started before and continued 13 years after that of Rwanda. There is a saying that “When Burundi sneezes, Rwanda catches a cold.” Burundi is located in the heart of Africa, directly below Rwanda. Its trouble began in October 1993, when the first elected Hutu President was assassinated by a group of Tutsi army officers. This spawned years of extensive ethnic violence and mass genocide as the Hutu extremist groups attempted to wipe out the Tutsi minority.
With assistance from the United Nations and the African Union, the last rebel group recently entered into ceasefire and political integration negotiations have begun, thus leading Burundi into a state of fragile peace. Burundi is a beautiful country with lush greenery, spans of beach along Lake Tanganyika, and breath taking mountains at every turn. Within a climate of hope and expectation, Burundi’s development is constrained by the absence of high integrity leaders.
Youth for Christ Burundi’s strategy for the development of high integrity Christian leaders has a number of interlinking programs including:
- Training of emerging leaders
- Overcoming spiritual warfare through prayer
- Reaching lost souls for Christ through outreach evangelism
- Nurturing abandoned orphans at the Gitega orphanage and community village
They use a number of activities to achieve these programs including:
- Christian Clubs high schools
- Community Clubs for kids
- Ministering to street kids
- Discipleship through small groups
- Gospel meetings
- Prayer with mothers “Operation Hannah”
- Prayer with fathers “Watchmen”
You can download a brochure on YFC ministry in Burundi and its National Director Freddy Tuyizere here.
Prayer Needs
- For a strong water pump to supply running water to the orphanage and community village in Gitega
- For cows as an income generating resource through the sale of milk and as an aid to future agricultural projects through production of fertilizer
- For the continued construction of the Gitega project. That funds would be provided and progress would continue to be made.
- For the stability of prices. The cost of petrol has gone up significantly. When this happens, the cost of everything else goes up with it. It is affecting not only construction costs but food prices as well.
- For peace and political stability in Burundi
About Burundi
Burundi
Introduction
Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The new government, led by President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, signed a South African brokered ceasefire with the country's last rebel group in September of 2006 but still faces many challenges.
Geography
Location
Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic Coordinates: 3 30 S, 30 00 E
Area
Total Area: 27,830 sq km Rank: 146
Land Area: 25,680 sq km
Water Area: 2,150 sq km
Comparison: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land Boundaries: 974 km
Bordering Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Climate
equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January)
Terrain
hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains
Elevations
Lowest Point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m
Highest Point: Heha 2,670 m
Natural Resources
nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone
Land Use
Arable land: 35.57%
Permanent Crops: 13.12%
Other: 51.31% (2005)
Irrigated Land: 210 sq km (2003)
Renewable Water Resources: 3.6 cu km (1987)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 0.29 cu km/yr (17%/6%/77%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 38 cu m/yr (2000)
Environment
Natural Hazards: flooding; landslides; drought
Environmental Issues: soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands; deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife populations
Environmental Agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
Geography Notes
landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile
People
Population: 9,511,330 Rank: 87
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years: 46.3% (male 2,213,667/female 2,189,197)
15-64 years: 51.2% (male 2,399,466/female 2,470,743)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 95,324/female 142,933) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 16.5 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: 3.688% (2010 est.) Rank: 2
Birth Rate: 41.76 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 10
Death Rate: 10.14 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 59
Net Migration Rate: 5.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 17
Urbanization
Urban Population: 10% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 6.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 64.86 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 32
Life Expectancy at Birth: 57.8 years Rank: 190
Fertility Rate: 6.25 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 5
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 2% (2007 est.) Rank: 32
People living with HIV/AIDS: 110,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 44
HIV/AIDS Deaths: 11,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 31
Degree of Risk for Major Infectious Diseases: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria
Water Contact Diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal Contact Diseases: rabies (2009)
Nationality and Culture
Noun: Burundian(s)
Adjective: Burundian
Ethnic Groups: Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000
Religion: Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%
Languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Education
Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 59.3% Male: 67.3% Female: 52.2% (2000 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 7 years Male: 8 years Female: 7 years (2006)
Education expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2005) Rank: 68
Government
Country Name
Conventional Long Form: Republic of Burundi
Conventional Short Form: Burundi
Local Long Form: Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi
Local Short Form: Burundi
Formerly: Urundi
Government Type: republic
Capital: Bujumbura Geographic Coordinates: 3 22 S, 29 21 E
Administrative divisions
17 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rural, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi
Independence: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution: ratified by popular referendum 28 February 2005
Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (adult)
Executive Branch
Chief of State: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA - Hutu (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Therence SINUNGURUZA - Tutsi (since 29 August 2010); Second Vice President Gervais RUFYIKIRI - Hutu (since 29 August 2010); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of Government: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA - Hutu (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Therence SINUNGURUZA - Tutsi (since 29 August 2010); Second Vice President Gervais RUFYIKIRI - Hutu (since 29 August 2010)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president
Elections: the president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permited the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the parliament; elections last held 28 June 2010 (next to be held in 2015); vice presidents nominated by the president, endorsed by parliament
Election Results: Pierre NKURUNZIZA elected president by popular vote; Pierre NKURUNZIZA 91.6%, other 8.4%; note - opposition parties withdrew from the election due to alleged government interference in the electoral process
Legislative Branch
bicameral Parliament or Parlement, consists of a Senate (54 seats; 34 members elected by indirect vote to serve five-year terms, with remaining seats assigned to ethnic groups and former chiefs of state) and a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (minimum 100 seats, 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi with at least 30% being women; additional seats appointed by a National Independent Electoral Commission to ensure ethnic representation; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held on 23 July 2010 (next to be held in 2015); National Assembly - last held on 23 July 2010 (next to be held in 2015)
Election Results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - TBD; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CNDD 81.2%, UPRONA 11.6%, FRODEBU 5.9%, others 1.3%; seats by party - CNDD 81, UPRONA 17, FRODEBU 5, other 3
Judicial branch
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; High Court of Justice (composed of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court)
International Organization Participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Flag Description: divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and fly side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below); green symbolizes hope and optimism, white purity and peace, and red the blood shed in the struggle for independence; the three stars in the disk represent the three major ethnic groups: Hutu, Twa, Tutsi, as well as the three elements in the national motto: unity, work, progress
Economy
Economy Overview: Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural which accounts for about 35% of GDP and employs more than 90% of the population. Burundi's primary exports are coffee and tea, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings, though exports are a relatively small share of GDP. Burundi's export earning - and its ability to pay for imports - rests primarily on weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the coffee trade. An ethnic-based war that lasted for over a decade resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000 refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally. Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in 15 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Burundi's GDP grew around 4% annually in 2006-09. Political stability and the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high poverty rate, poor education rates, a weak legal system, and low administrative capacity - risk undermining planned economic reforms. Burundi will continue to remain heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and multilateral donors; the delay of funds after a corruption scandal cut off bilateral aid in 2007 reduced government's revenues and its ability to pay salaries. Burundi joined the East African Community, which should boost Burundi's regional trade ties. Burundi's main challenge to economic growth will be maintaining sufficient fiscal discipline and peace during the upcoming national elections scheduled for 2010.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $3.245 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 171
GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2009 est.) Rank: 53
GDP - per capita (PPP): $300 (2009 est.) Rank: 226
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 33.4% Industry: 20.7% Services: 45.9% (2009 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 4.245 million (2007) Rank: 84
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 93.6% Industry: 2.3% Services: 4.1% (2002 est.)
Unemployment Rate: NA
Poverty
Population below poverty line: 68% (2002 est.)
Transnational Issues
International Disputes: Burundi and Rwanda dispute sections of border on the Akanyaru/Kanyaru and the Kagera/Nyabarongo rivers, which have changed course since the 1960s, when the boundary was delimited; cross-border conflicts among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces persist in the Great Lakes region
Refugees and internally displaced persons - refugees (country of origin): 9,849 (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
International Displaced Persons: 100,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2007)
