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Located in East Africa and surrounded in the Great Lakes Region by Rwanda in the north, Tanzania in the east, Democratic Republic of the Congo in the west, and Lake Tanganyika in the southwest, Burundi is a landlocked low-income economy with 80% of the population living with agriculture.
Burundi has undergone decades of repetitive socio-political crises, and the impacts of political conflicts and civil war are enormous. The country has witnessed the phenomena of displaced persons, refugees, widows, orphans, and structural poverty caused by these political and security disruptions. Consequent challenges include the emergence of vulnerability and poverty within families and communities. Insecurity and repetitive violent conflicts have damaged property, caused many deaths, and affected many families psychologically. Most children drop out of school and some of them, due to their financial incapacity, have experienced child marriage, and emotional and sexual abuse. While community needs are enormous and need to be addressed, women and young people need to be equipped to ensure sustainable development.
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Tabitha Community in Action (TCA) has been working tirelessly on inclusive and quality education for every child, Youth Empowerment for a better society, and Women Empowerment for peaceful and resilient communities in Burundi.
Access to education is an essential human right, and it is in the interest of communities and societies that all children should receive quality and safe education. The cost of failing children in this regard is not only an issue for children’s rights and a personal loss for the child’s development and later opportunities, but it is also a loss for societies that then suffer from lower productivity, higher welfare dependency on an individual, greater social inequality, and intergenerational transmission of vulnerability.
Tabitha Community in Action (TCA) has been engaging the Burundian community, artists, and young people to act for inclusive education for all children. Over 2100 Children (1500 girls and 600 boys located in 4 provinces of Burundi.) reintegrated into school in 4 years and are being supported by their families. 200 malnourished children (120 girls and 80 boys) receive daily feeding to enable them to increase their school attendance.
Isolating young people, intentionally or unintentionally, especially in both rural and urban areas, can contribute to drug abuse, illegal and criminal actions, depression, migration, and so on. This is happening while the youth are the potential group of actors for structuring the future of Burundi. TCA recognizes that over 60% of the Burundian population are youth. They are the hope of the country and are a significant force for sustainable development and key agents for social change, economic growth, and technological innovation.
Therefore, TCA promotes and supports their empowerment. This is done by promoting social entrepreneurship for young people from both rural and urban areas, sharing youth opportunities, investing in English language promotion to young people, engaging youth in peacebuilding and SDGs programs, and ensuring youth are a part of our programs.
In rural areas, Tabitha Community in Action partners with provinces and leads entrepreneurship programs: over 7000 young people from 157 youth cooperatives are part of our program beneficiaries. In Bujumbura town, hundreds of young people benefit from our Center’s activities and programs.
Empowering, strengthening, and including young people in the decision-making and creating opportunities is a sustainable way to alleviate unemployment, crime, drug abuse, and poverty. TCA is building the bridge between Burundian young people and a world of opportunities where everyone rejoices in their rights and participates in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The poorest households in rural areas of Burundi are significantly excluded from financial services. Gender inequalities in these areas mean that women are the most excluded, most vulnerable, and cannot have access even to the most basic financial services such as savings accounts or small loans. Without access to education, training, or the ability to save money, women can’t lift themselves out of poverty. Repetitive episodes of wars in Burundi have affected women and girls and still, like other Burundians, they live with untreated trauma and emotional disturbances.
Together with our partners, we are building families by investing in women and girls and enabling them to meet the basic needs of their families and become agents of change in their respective communities.
To empower rural women in financial literacy to boost their income, TCA is addressing the financial gender gap through a dynamic financial literacy program that equips over 1000 rural women, working in Village and Saving and Loans Associations, with knowledge of cash management, savings, loans, and other financial services.
TCA has also been organizing counseling sessions for women with trauma resulting from the civil war and tailoring training at Hope Community Center in Bujumbura. We help girls and women overcome the daily discrimination they face by allowing them to improve their situation through education and skills training.
tcaburundi@tca-help.org
Bujumbura, Burundi | Muha | Kanyosha,4ᵉ Avenue,2ᵉ Rue, Avenue de la victoire, n°53
Fait avec💖par HOGI