Children in Burundi: Information about children living in poverty in Burundi and the sponsorship of children in Burundi, one of the planet's ten poorest countries.
To understand more about the country of Burundi, click here for
a selection of video images.
Burundi is both one of the smallest countries in Africa and 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 of 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.
You can make a difference by helping one of the many charities listed bellow
who are working with children in Burundi.
