Mid October 2023, Fort Barachel’s friends from the United States of America came to share with us the joy of what God is doing with us in the communities we are assisting. Let’s recap the visit.

Gishora: when family is well fed, the drum beat is good as well

The first stop of the field visit was Gishora, the sanctuary of Burundian drum. This was on Thursday 19 October 2023. Alongside discovering the history behind the Burundian drum and seeing how much the Umuvugangoma trees planted in March 2023 have grown (drummers look forward to planting an additional 3000 seedlings), the delegation got to learn more about the kind of support Fort Barachel is bringing to the drummers. This led the delegation to the Dieudonné’s home.

Dieudonné in his pigstry

Dieudonné is a drummer in Gishora. Besides drumming, he is a farmer and mostly expects his crop to feed his family. But this crop is very little if he does not find fertilizers to enhance the productivity of his land. “When the rainy season comes, I have been always used to buy fertilizers for 50.000 to 60.000 BIF (around 16 to 20$)” he says.

Receiving a pig from Fort Barachel helped Dieudonné reverse the trend.
“Before the present rainy season started, as we had already got the pig, I tried to prepare in advance by putting rotting grasses and banana trunks in the pigsty. At the end I got two trucks of fertilizers” says Dieudonné. “As a result, I didn’t have to buy fertilizers this season. The money I once used to buy them, I used it to buy another pig to keep company with the one I had received from Fort Barachel” he adds.
Dieudonné is one of many drummers of Gishora, sanctuary of Burundian drum, who have received pigs so to try helping them with feeding their families. In total, 23 pigs were given, each costing 50.000BIF (around 12$). This support was very helpful as Mr Oscar Nshimirimana, the chief of Batimbo (drummers) said back then. “You really don’t know how much you are helping us” Oscar told us.

Hope Givers: bringing hope to people with special needs

On the third day of the visit, Friday 20th October, Fort Barachel’s friends got to learn more about the interventions being conducted through “Hope Givers”.

“Hope Givers” is a consortium of three organizations – namely Fort Barachel (FB), Jars of Love Community (JLC) and AGH (Association pour la Gestion du Handicap – Special needs Management Association) – which came together to address the challenges people with special needs are facing, together with their families, in their communities.
We work in provinces, namely Bujumbura Mayorship, Bururi, Mwaro and Bujumbura.
During the visit, we introduced our friends to three sites located in Musaga and Kanyosha areas, Muha commune of Bujumbura mayorhsip. The sites visited are Kinanira 2 in Musaga area, Gisyo and Nkenga in Kanyosha area.

A child born with blindness assisted by Hope Givers

Elisa’s story, a four years old boy 

Irakoze Elisa is four years. He can’t stand up nor sit. He was born in good condition but things changed at 5months. He got an infection which ended up with cebropsy. His mother noticed that the child’s neck and back can’t stand and consequently the child couldn’t sit. She went to the hospital and they told her that they can’t do anything for her.
Things have not been easy for Joselyne Irankunda, Elisa’s mother due to stigma as she testifies. “When it happened to have some misunderstanding with a neighbor, the common insult was ‘you conceived a handicapped child”. And it was depressing for me” she testifies.

Chanelle explaining Elisa’s case

There is still hope for Elisa

“We’re starting to teach him some exercises to help him learn how to sit, use his hands, how to stand. Little by little we may get some functions coming back” hopes Ella Chanelle Ininahazwe, Founder and Executive Director of AGH which helps with special needs technical expertise in the consortium.
Pastor Troy from Family Church, Windemere in Florida (USA) encouraged the families having children with special needs. “God never makes a mistake while creating someone. But He creates an opportunity to give Him glory” he said to them. He prayed for them and 12 people decided to receive Christ in their lives.

Queens Academy: educating girls through sport

Friday 20th 10, 2023 was also a day of introducing Fort Barachel friends to Queens Academy. Queens Academy is a basketball team composed of young girls between 12 and 17 years old.

Some of the girls were training without shoes while some others were borrowing shoes to their friends. This was some of the challenges that Tim&Joyce Fake family was coming to help address. “Nancy – Queens Academy coordinator – share with us that some kids were playing barefoot and we wanted to give them shoes so that they can continue practicing their favorite sport” said Joyce Fake.

Princia is a young and talented girl playing in Queens Academy team. “Before coming to the team, it was hard for some of us to find where we can practice basketball “she said. “Moreover, I was fat and training was very helpful for me” she added.

Joyce Fake giving baskerball equipments to a Queens Academy player

Queens Academy: progress is obvious

Launched in 2021 by FORT BARACHEL for the financial side in partnership with INGABIRE CONSOLIDATED for the technical side, Queens Academy goes beyond playing basketball. It’s an initiative to educate young girls through sport, especially basketball. Themes discussed after training range from the fight against drugs to reproductive health among others.
Progress is obvious. “We started with 10 to 15 girls but now we have 30 to 40 young girls who attend trainings regularly. Parents are also more and more calling to encourage us for what we are doing with their kids” said Dr Chris Lee Gifwandi, the board member of INGABIRE CONSOLIDATED.

Skateboarding: a new concept, a new game style

Skateboarding is a new sport in Burundi. After the first skateboarding that was donated to Fort Barachel at the Johnson’s Center, there are new winds of Burundi skateboarders. Fleury, a young man from Good Shepherd Church, who has been learning since 2019, is a passionate skateboarder. He has now a team he is teaching. “We just started a ‘Skate Church’ with discipleship” he said.
After a skateboarding demonstration, Kyle Brush, a businessman, pastor and skateboarder shared his salvation experience. Calling the audience to put their faith in God, 20 people prayed to receive Jesus in their lives.

People praying to receive Jesus after Kyle Brush’s testimony

Fort Barachel is grateful for the opportunity to share the gospel to Burundians and is feeling inspired by the work done by Fort Barachel Foundation and everyone’s input on the programs to support the communities.

We encourage everyone being moved by what we are trying to do to get in touch so we can “Build hearts” together in the Heart of Africa. The journey goes on…