About Burundi
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Burundi is both one of the smallest countries in Africa and an example of poverty in Africa, being one of the ten poorest countries in the world. Initially a kingdom, it was then ruled by Germany until the end of the first World War before becoming part of the Belgian colonial empire and eventually gaining independence in 1962.
As with many of the newly emerging independent African nations, internal politics were fraught and unstable, with conflicts over riding the needs of its population even to the present day when 80% of Burundians live in poverty. It gained its first elected president in 1993, however within one hundred days the president had been assassinated and a civil war that was to last 12 years and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Burundians had been triggered.
In order to survive, Burundi is now dependent on foreign aid, but even with that aid, over half the children there under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition. Nearly half the population is aged fourteen years and under and not only has civil war devastated the country's social and economic fabric, returning refugees have added to the existing problems with property and land conflicts arising.
Today, the children in Burundi face an uncertain future. With poor infrastructure, a very poor level of healthcare, and contagious diseases rife, the cycle needs to be broken. One of the major problems facing children in Burundi is the lack of educational facilities as many were damaged or destroyed in the civil war and there are a lack of teachers. Cost is also a factor with poor families having to choose between food and education.
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