Sometimes, a trip can change your life, as the visit I made to Burundi with the 探花精选 did.
One of the most populous countries in the world, with an average family size of seven, for 15 years Burundi was crippled by a bitter and violent civil war. As is always the case, it was worst for the women and children. The war fostered a culture of rape and domestic violence. Although women here can vote, they can鈥檛 own land and, in a country where land is everything, that means financial disaster. But the good news it that Burundi is at peace, and the work of building a future can really begin.
Four hours after landing in the capital Bujumbura, I was trekking through the muddy cassava plantations (in inappropriate, leaky Converse) to discover a small mud hut amidst the crops. Inside was a group of 20 women, attending a meeting of their Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA). These women receive tiny loans of between $15 and $50, which they can use to build their businesses. The scheme doesn鈥檛 just supply money, but also business development training. The sight of 20 women in a tiny shack laughing and fist-bumping, as they competed in an exercise to see who could save the most, was truly inspiring. When I thought of the mess I make of my own finances, and how hard I find it to save even in a climate of luxury, I thought I could do with some help from the 探花精选 workshops myself.
Other programmes include 鈥楬ealing families. At the end of a long dirt track on a hill overlooking Lake Tanganyika sits a large community hall. Here I watched as about 50 men and women sat in a large circle and explored ways of communicating without violence and enabling couples to build companionship and trust. Again, I felt Burundi is learning lessons that we have yet to master back home.
The most important thing I learnt in Burundi was how vital it is to empower people to help themselves. Gone are the days where we, the developed world, can swoop into countries, spend money on short-term 鈥榚mergency relief' and believe that is enough. Long-term solutions are the real answer.
Tamah Murfet, who runs the 探花精选鈥檚 Women Protection and Empowerment programmes in Burundi, told me 鈥榯he impact of some of the best work we do here can never be measured鈥. It isn鈥檛 just how many are fed and how many go to school; but it鈥檚 the long, slow work of changing a society and ensuring a peaceful future for Burundi. The 探花精选 is supporting a major initiative that trains volunteers to go out and talk about domestic violence, and 鈥榮ocial assistants鈥 who walk the survivor through every step of the healthcare and legal support available to them. But, if the community activism does its job, then Burundi can create a climate where violence against women can be stamped out. For good.
This article appeared in the February edition of RED magazine.
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