So that's it. I've been the first Action Aid sponsor to visit Burundi and I'm sure I'm not going to be the last. ActionAid have hosted my trip without fault and Josias the Sponsorship manager and the whole team have gone above and beyond the call of duty to show how Action Aid work in Burundi.
I've learnt so much I don't really know where to start. I guess the most important thing is HRBA (Human Rights based Approach). I didn't fully understand it at first but as the Ruyigi team introduced me do the different aspects of it, everything started falling into place.
Action Aid came to Burundi in 1976. When the war broke out it changed its approach from long term to immediate relief giving aid. When the war ended it reverted back to it long term plan to end poverty by empowering the community to help themselves. If you give a poor farming family a weeks' worth of food, the food will be gone in a week. If you train them to be part of an association, teach them modern farming methods, give them access to cheap seeds, granaries, they will have food indefinitely. They will have food security.
Action Aid's commitment to education means that it has built many schools in the Butaganzwa Commune alone and by promoting rights to schools they are giving each child their own ability to study and learn giving them equal opportunities and better prospects for their future.
Action Aid continues to support initiatives across the country. OK, what does this mean? Well, I didn't really get that until I saw it happen. With the implementation of 'Reflect Centres' (I'm still unsure of the name!) Action Aid trains the community to train itself. The concept of a Community Facilitator, is simple but effective. It's quite simply cascade training, done in a way which reaches the heart of the community.
The sponsorship program has been explained and demonstrated to me. I understand now that the money does not go directly to that child but to the child's community. The money pays for the schools, granaries, PTA's, Reflect Centres, as well as immediate support where it is necessary. There is only a limited fund that action aid has and it has to use this wisely. They can't fix every problem but they strive to empower the community to fix it for themselves.
As a UK sponsor, I'm proud to say that we are the largest supporters of Burundi and I'm very proud to be the first one to come. The country has been at peace now since 2008 and with a President who spends his weekends working in the community and over 3000 schools built under his belt, I can't see any reason why people shouldn't come here. The president has given the country piece and is extremely respected throughout. Maybe he could run the UK for us part time?
Anyway, going back to what I was saying before about Action Aid's budget, they can't do everything. So there are issues that I have seen since I have been out here and am discussing the possibilities of doing some 'Micro Projects' with Action Aid. An example of this would be running a water pipe into some of the villages in Butaganzwa that do not have it.
After speaking with the Governor of Ruyigi we have his full support, and providing we insure that the fundraising and micro project does not impact on Action Aid's long term goals then I think we have a go. Once all the project documentation and pricing has been completed in the next few weeks we will have a final project cost and I will begin fundraising in the UK, initial estimates are around £20,000 but this would supply water to over a thousand people.
Josias Ogden and I are going to discuss further the possibilities of adding the project to a gift catalogue where I'm hoping that sponsors could make a one off contribution to the project, and hey, if they wished they could come out to visit their child sponsors and even help out on the project, I know I'm going to! Josias has a lot of experience of fundraising and innovation so we need to investigate this.
If anyone is interested in supporting the project please let me know, this is going to be pilot project to make sure there are no detrimental effects to the long term goals of Action Aid but if successful, I'm sure it will be the first of many. As sponsors come out to visit their children, they will see their own issues which challenge their community and suggest micro projects of their own.
Actions and Outcomes
- I will promote sponsorship in UK
- I will encourage sponsors to write to the children
- I will encourage sponsors to visit their children and community.
- Butaganzwa Water Project
- Action Aid to provide me with Project Documentation and pricing
- I will begin fundraising for the water project in the UK.
So that's it. That's my trip. Burundi is an incredible country with a people who have a spirit and an ability to smile through the most difficult of conditions. Now get over here and see it for yourselves, it will change your life.
Mark Coull
markcoull@portal4.net
Mark,
ReplyDeleteMany Thanks for your continued role in bringing change to the lives of many poor families in Burundi!your visit to the communities in Burundi created more hope for a better future to many children and their families!