In Burundi, there are constant reports of children dropping out of school due to lack of school materials and poverty in their families. However, Fort Barachel’s goal is to get children back to school and keep them there, even in difficult circumstances.
For the past four years, Fort Barachel has been conducting a campaign called “Back to School” in September. September 2022 was no exception. This initiative consists of providing school materials to children from vulnerable families in Fort Barachel’s intervention areas.
Fort Barachel offered school materials in Bisoro commune,
Mwaro province along 2022 Back to school campaign/Photo/FortBarachel
Ezechiel de Rukeco (Ngozi province) and Aline of Matana (Bururi province) are among the beneficiaries of the 2022 edition of the “Back to Shool” campaign. The words they use are different, but they all express a sense of gratitude and appreciation for Fort Barachel and its partners.
For Bucumi Ezéchiel, a student at Ecole Fondamentale Rugori in the Rukeco zone of Busiga commune, the equipment he has been given means more. He sees this material as a hope to advance in class, he who had just repeated the same year twice. “I thank Fort Barachel. Last year I didn’t have enough school materials and it affected my grades negatively. Now, with the school materials I have just received, I hope everything will go well,” he said.
Kigeme Aline is a woman from the Batwa community in Matana commune. Her children received school materials in September 2021 during the third edition of the “Back to School” campaign. When her children received the school materials, she could not hide her joy and gratitude for this gift. “The notebooks obtained are really a great help for me and I thank you very much. As a proof, I was really sick for a few days and I had no source of income to buy the notebooks. Even if the children want to study I could see that it would be difficult for me to find notebooks. I could not see any way out. But God is coming to our rescue through your donation,” she said.
Fort Barachel offered school materials in Busiga commune,
Ngozi province along 2022 Back to school campaign/Photo/FortBarachel
The campaign has become a very useful intervention that has allowed many children to access school supply kits (notebooks, pencils, rulers, erasers and school bags). Thanks to your donations and contributions of all kinds, 420 families have been reached through this campaign.
Beyond school supplies, “Back to School” has given rise to the idea of integrating into the campaign the accompaniment of parents until they become economically self-sufficient. This will be done through the creation of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA). We are convinced that the AVECs are an efficient tool that will allow families to finance their children’s education, to pay for health care and to improve the food of their households. Currently, more than 550 families are already benefiting from the program and we hope to accomplish this task with you, thanks to your support, however small.