Monday June 10th - Country Management Team Meeting

Meeting With CMT at ActionAid Head Office Bujumbura

There are 5 LRP's (Local Rights Program's) and these are funded by different countries;

Karusi - UK

Rutana - Italy

Mpinga - Italy

Butaganzwa - UK

Bweru - USA + Brazil

 

Meeting with CMT (Country Management Team).

The head office at Bujumbura has about 17 staff. Each member of staff has a critical role in the organisation ranging from finance to sponsorship management. I had the pleasure of meeting the Country Director Emime Ndihokubwayo, who with the CMT, gave me a concise overview of operations in Burundi.

 ActionAid started in Burundi in 1976 and began the sponsorship program. In 1993 the conflict started. The assassination of Burundi’s first democratically elected and first Hutu President, Melchior Ndadaye, led to widespread ethnic violence. Around 200,000 people died in the fighting, which also sparked an unprecedented refugee crisis.

In 1993, Burundi's first democratically elected president Melchior Ndadaye, was assassinated by Tutsi extremists. As a result of the murder, violence broke out between the two groups, and an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people died within a year with countless displaced from their homes. Currently in Karusi there are still approximate 5000 people living in refugee camps to scared to go back home. 

Out of the 8000 sponsors, 4000 switched to Mozambique. The money coming in from sponsorship was then redirected from a long term strategy to a more reactive approach providing medical and resettlement aid. The conflict ended in 2007 and the sponsorship program reverted back to the more long term strategy enabling the communities to help themselves.

ActionAid works with the local authorities and other local organisations to implement locally requested projects such as new schools. ActionAid acts as a mediator for this process, training and empowering the community to execute the project themselves. Ruyigi, the province I am visiting tomorrow, was the first of them to be set up.

ActionAid play a big part with Education, meeting with the education minister to provide advice to the government.  A new 3 point strategy is being implemented this year.

1. Women In Agriculture.
1. Women make up 80% of the agriculture work force but have no legal rights to own land or property. ActionAid are working towards empowering women so that by 2018 30,000 women and girls can realise their rights to food and sustainable livelihoods.
2. Public Quality Education
1. By 2018 8000 boys and 7000 girls will have access to improved quality education in 45 elementary schools in the 5 LRP's.
3. Public Service Provision - Making sure taxes are being used correctly.
1. Empower poor and marginalised people to participate in the governance process and demand accountability from the government in the delivery of public services.

Over 7000 Sponsors from around the world sponsor children in Burundi, the majority from the UK. Child sponsorship makes up 80% of ActionaAid's income with the last 20% coming from what they call 'Additional Income' or High Value Funding. These are contributions from organisations or companies.

Sponsors are not just seen as a source of income but are encouraged to give feedback on the issues which ActionAid deal with on a daily basis. A key thing that was pointed out to me was that the money which is given by the sponsor does not go directly to the child but it does go to the child's immediate community. I think this is important as you couldn't have a community where only half the children are sponsored, this would cause jealousy and resentment and conflict within the very community that the sponsor was trying to help.

The money given by the sponsor is broken down with 70% going to the community, 10% pays for the sponsorship programme, salaries, correspondence etc. 10% goes to ActionAid Burundi to deal with issues on a national level and 10% for flexible spending, allowing ActionAid to switch funds to areas outside the target community which need aid the most. I immediately warmed to the transparency and approach of AAB (ActionAid Burundi). As a sponsor you can see where your contribution is going straight away and also it is easy to appreciate how well the funds which are available to ActionAid are being managed and spent. The children that are sponsored are seen as ambassadors of the community. I like this approach. Amongst other things this must give the child a sense of involvement that they would of otherwise not received.

There was an enormous amount of information given to me during the CMT meeting, some of which I have touched on. I will do my best do document all that I could take in. The team were extremely knowledgeable in their areas and keen to inform me about the different challenges they are presented with. I felt very privileged to be a part of the meeting.