Clotibole from Burundi took part in a two month microfinance training program sponsored by CARE. © CARE / Nicole Cappelo.
CARE originally established an office in Burundi in 1994 to help people affected by civil unrest.
Post-war, CARE supports people, with a focus on women, to take a more active role in moving Burundi towards peace and economic security.
During the years of upheaval in the Great Lakes region, CARE managed refugee camps inside the country and across the border in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Burundi’s new government has many challenges. These include rebuilding both infrastructure and the economy, alongside governance structures and a climate of trust amongst the population.
Women’s Empowerment
CARE runs various women’s empowerment projects. Support is offered in areas such as loans and economic development, access to property, stopping sexual violence, and the involvement of men in addressing the rights of women.
Youth Empowerment
CARE Burundi runs projects that address both the social and skills needs of young people who are out of school.
CARE runs a programme in the towns Bujumbura and Gitega, which addresses adolescent girls’ needs for empowerment.
Working with local partners, CARE aims to reduce the impacts of HIV/AIDS, violence and poverty on vulnerable children and to ensure the realisation of their universal child rights.
CARE offers support to ex-child combatants and other children and youth traumatized by the decade-long war in Burundi.
Empowerment of Marginalised People
CARE aims to enable the most marginalised to be active in their community’s development; linking grassroots voices to national, regional and international forums.
CARE is piloting new approaches and partnerships to support the economic and social empowerment of women in Burundi, focusing on the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, improved rice production, and skills training for former female combatants.
