GOOD NEWS FROM KARUZI, BURUNDI

GOOD NEWS FROM KARUZI, BURUNDI

We do education and economic enterprises. We ensure that the lives of Burundians are based on the strong rock that is character as Dr Paul Taylor mentioned during his  teachings back in 2011

We target women and young people and give them education and practical skills that enable them to exploit the opportunities around them after helping them to renew their minds as stated in Romans 12:1-3: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Today, October 14, 2022, sponsored by our mentors Dr Paul Taylor and Dr Josimar Salum, we are in Karusi province (the nation of Burundi) where we are leading community transformation by educating illiterate adults who have not had the chance to sit on the school desk.

We target those who cannot read or write (as research has concluded, people with low levels of literacy are more likely to experience poorer employment opportunities and outcomes and lower earnings. as a result, they often face welfare dependency, low self-esteem and higher levels of crime).

Thereby,

1st: We unite them regardless of religion, ethnicity, and political affiliation. (Social cohesion is one of the four pillars of sustainability- Innocent Niyongabo mentioned)

2nd: We teach them to read, write and calculate numbers

3rd: Now that we have accompanied them in modular literacy   + Taught them Basic life skills (=Character and  social responsibility skills, self-care skills, love languages and change of mentality)

4th: Then we group them into loan and savings groups (ONE savings groups are the first step towards financial inclusion (it is an approach for those who cannot access banking services due to a lack of mortgage or simply because they live in remote areas where people have not grown up with the business culture) as they provide a mechanism to save money while building knowledge and financial skills. In addition, these rural savings and loan groups are owned, managed and operated by their own members, using a simple and transparent method (ONE helps them with the basic teachings of the initiation phase, the creation of groups, continuous learning, cash boxes, as well as cash booklets donation, where groups accumulate and learn to handle responsibly small amounts of money, learn to fail forward (As stated in the book of Generational Solutions) and work towards preparation of handling big projects and big money.

The following step will be to expand our effort to farming and agribusiness project to enable those people we have nurtured to grow and sustain themselves 

In Thanks of ONE Community volunteer Facilitators (CVF), ONE is able to follow-up weekly activities

Current provinces: Bujumbura, Bubanza, Gitega and Karusi

Success story:

My name is Jeanine, I am from the Batwa (the indigenous excluded group of Burundi), before joining the ONE village groups, I had no hope, I felt alone and excluded, I ate once a day or no meal at all. But when the ONE representatives at the national level came to challenge us, I also felt free to join them. Today I eat, I send children to school and I have hope for a better future thanks to ONE's community transformation programs.

On the behalf of the ONE local  board

Jeremie Manirakiza

Innocent Niyongabo

Gerard Ninziza

#ASONE