Gatumba, Burundi lies on the Western side of Burundi close to DRC. Gatumba is part of rural Bujumbura whose population is estimated to be 500,000. Gatumba lies on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and has suffered greatly throughout the ethnic unrest in the 1990s-2000s. In 2004, there was a massacre at a refugee camp in Gatumba where more than 150 Congolese were killed and another 106 were wounded. The area is, as most of Burundi, intensely poor. Most of the population makes their living in small businesses and agriculture.
In April 2020, floods damaged or destroyed 90% of the population’s households and belongings. 11 of the 14 schools in the area were flooded. Some of the buildings have collapsed and others are at risk of collapse. Before this tragedy, Burundi (like the rest of the world) struggled to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Borders and airports were closed, resulting in inflated food prices, businesses closing and the intense poverty already prevalent in Burundi made the situation on the ground untenable. There was and is a widespread lack of water, toilet facilities, food, and medical care. Most of Gatumba remained underwater for months as the lake’s level remained at a historic high.
Before the flooding and COVID-19 crises, Burundi was already 50% food insecure with 82% of the population living below the poverty line. Together with the existing crisis of food insecurity, flooding, and Covid-19 have created an intractable situation for the community and its leaders. There are simply not enough local resources to attend to the massive need that presents not only in Burundi, but in this case specifically, Gatumba.
Gatumba: Our Church History and
Response
We have had a small church campus in Gatumba for almost 20 years. The congregation has suffered greatly together with the rest of the community. At one time, 20 church families were displaced by April’s floods living at the church’s facility.
Note: thankfully our facility has never flooded in these and subsequent floods.
With the help of Hand of Hope, we were able to respond to 200 widows/elderly and their families coming mostly from Gatumba from July – September with relief packages. We estimate 1,200-1,600 (an average of 6-8 people per household) have been fed these months. In addition to distributing the relief packages, we have been able to attend to a few medical needs we encountered while feeding.
While there are no official statistics on the number of widows in Burundi, the ratio of widows in our churches hovers around 1:4 adult women who have been widowed. Women in Burundi, and all of Africa, are already at a disadvantage due to the cultural views placed on women. It is for this reason we have chosen to bring a new emphasis on reaching out to widows and their children in our outreach.
While the emergency relief in Gatumba we brought was more than welcomed by the population and local authorities, it was insufficient to meet longer-term needs.
Launch of Gatumba Hope Center
In February 2021 we officially launched our Hope Center outreach in Gatumba, Burundi. With the help of local authorities, we targeted children 12 years of age and younger (especially orphans), the elderly, and the handicapped. To date, we have 500 regular attendees at the Hope Center where we offer prayer, Bible lessons, songs, food, basic medical care, and fully sponsored primary education for 20 orphaned children from the Hope Center.
Development: New Hope Academy and
Anna’s House
Just two years after we opened the Hope Center, we launched a school (2023 New Hope Academy) on a piece of property adjacent to the Center. The school currently has 180 preschool and kindergarten students. We hope to expand the school further as God opens the door and provides the facilities needed for expansion.
Most recently, another property has become available that is also connected to the Hope Center. We are purchasing this property to further our ministry to the elderly and handicapped. Anna’s House (see Luke 2:36-38) will serve our elderly and handicapped Hope Center attendees with clothes washing, bathing facilities, meals, and medical care.
Mercy
When we reach out to people like those of our Hope Center in Gatumba, we are extending the mercy of God to those who need it most. Our attendees have no way to pay for any of these basic services that we all take for granted. Most of us will never struggle to find our next meal or have a shower for bathing.
Working for the “least of these” may not put our faces among the rich and famous of this world. However, reaching these people with God’s love has an eternal impact that will only be seen when we enter into God’s Kingdom.
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