Burundi

 

African Revival Ministries

Vestine Kanyamuneza

Feed the Hungry has Partnered with African Revival Ministries since 2008

The partnership with Feed the Hungry allows Vestine and African Revival Ministries to feed vulnerable people and share with them the good news of Jesus. The ministry works with children who have left their schools and homes due to hunger and helps them return to their education and families.

Children impacted by the feeding program are encouraged to pursue their studies and accept Christ. Those who left school are returning to receive food and an education. Local Pygmy children are very poor and refuse to go to school, but with the feeding program, Vestine and her ministry have been able to reach these children and their families.

The feeding program also helps those with HIV to be able to nourish their bodies, take their medicine, and live longer lives.
Vestine’s long-term goal is to see people transformed spiritually and mature so that they can build their lives for the better.

Seeing children transform their families, return to school, and find hope in Jesus are some of the most impactful moments in Vestine’s ministry.

Funding, equipment, and transportation are the main things Vestine and her ministry constantly face.

If she had the privilege to meet Dr. Lester Sumrall, Vestine would thank him for the charity and Christian works he established to help vulnerable people and unbelievers.

If food and God’s word were plentiful, they could reach every child in Burundi and work with more schools and centers.

 

About Burundi

Burundi faces numerous humanitarian and development challenges that affect the daily lives of its people. Food shortages, widespread poverty, limited access to clean drinking water, floods, landslides, and droughts all threaten livelihoods and contribute to ongoing hardship. Human trafficking remains a serious concern, with victims subjected to forced labour in agriculture, mining, charcoal production, fishing, domestic service, and sexual exploitation.

As of 2022, Burundi was home to approximately 87,485 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and had 84,791 internally displaced people due to violence between rebel groups and government forces. The country has also faced the recruitment of children by armed groups to participate in anti-government activities.

Ongoing challenges such as government corruption, a weak legal system, high poverty rates, limited access to quality education, and low electrification—only 11% of the population had access to electricity—continue to hinder Burundi's development.

 

Country Statistics

  • Population: 13,162,952 (2023 est.)

  • Below the Poverty Line: 64.6% (2014 est.)

  • Life Expectancy: 67.77 years (2023 est.)

  • Literacy Rate: 68.4% (2017)

  • Human Development Index: 187/191 (2020)

About the Children

  • Under the Age of 14: 42.67% (2023 est.)

  • Children under 5 Underweight: 27% (2019)

  • Average Years of Schooling: 3.3 years (2020)

Causes of Death

  • Hepatitis A, Typhoid Fever, Malaria, and Dengue Fever.

  • Others include diarrheal diseases, water-borne diseases, birth complications, and rabies.