Would poor country Burundi and why Burundi is very poor?

 Why is Burundi one of the poorest countries in the world? 

When insecurity and climate change wreak havoc on a country already plagued by extreme poverty, the results can be disastrous. Burundi, an East African country, exemplifies the dire consequences of such issues like no other. It is one of the world's most fragile countries due to insecurity, poverty, and an uncertain climate.

Burundi's increasing needs and diminishing resources

Burundi is a small landlocked country that shares borders with Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the lean season, when prices rise, it is even more difficult for those living in poverty to obtain adequate nutritious food. According to the most recent Global Hunger Index (GHI) data, hunger is widespread and worsening year after year.

Even during the harvest season, when food is plentiful, families can spend up to two-thirds of their income on food. It has a hilly landscape that is prone to erosion and landslides, making food production difficult for a growing population.

It has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in the world, with nearly two-thirds of all children under the age of five (56%) classified as malnourished.

Joseph Nkengurukiyimana

He describes what life is like for someone living in extreme poverty in Burundi, “There are many extremely poor households in Burundi. Project Supervisor Joseph Nkengurukiyimana works on Concern’s Graduation programme in Mabayi, Cibitoke, Burundi. People in these circumstances aren’t able to produce enough food to consume, so they have to depend on casual work on a daily basis.”

Concern’s innovative programme, the Graduation Programme known as ‘Terintambwe’ or ‘Take a Step Forward’, is a proven model of moving households out of extreme poverty in a way that is effective and lasting. Over a period of three years, the programme guides families through an integrated package of support to help them build a sustainable livelihood. Our programme targets households with limited access to health services and education, and with little or no access to land. This package is tailored to each individual’s skills, the needs of the community and the geographical challenges of each location. The programme includes consultation with communities and individuals to identify their needs, and delivers training in business or vocational skills, financial and savings support and start-up business grants.

Unstable environments

The growing number of natural disasters in the country has impacted an already vulnerable farming community. Burundi is heavily reliant on agriculture and 90% of the population are working in this sector. Small, rural farmers are often overwhelmingly affected by poverty and the impact of floods, droughts and torrential rain hits them the hardest.

Climate change presents a problem in a country already limited by the amount of land available for farming.

Each session lasted for twelve days. She explains how vital this is:. During that time we were paired with a Maman Lumière (light mother). Now I know what’s best for her and I’m happy because of the advice and knowledge we have been given.”

Concern also encouraged Espérence and her husband to build a kitchen garden and grow their own food such as aubergines, sweet potatoes and amaranth. She showed us how to cook and I was able to share her cooking utensils. Delphine might have died because she wasn’t getting the right food to keep her healthy. Delphine was found to be malnourished at just six-months old because she wasn’t able to get the nutritious food she needed. Her mother, Espérence, attended a series of nutrition sessions run by Concern where she learned good nutrition, food preparation and hygiene practices.

She said, “I attended two sessions with about 24 other mothers. Delphine hasn’t suffered from malnutrition since then. Two-year-old Delphine lives with her mother in Kirundo, the province with the highest rate of childhood malnutrition in Burundi.

Who is most affected?

The crisis disproportionately affects children, who make up around half of the population. The situation in Kirundo province is particularly alarming with rates of acute malnutrition among children rapidly on the increase. Severe acute malnutrition is the most extreme and visible form of undernutrition. Its face is a child – frail and very thin – who requires urgent treatment to survive.  

The government is currently unable to support the needs of its poor population. Insecurity and a failing economy have placed additional strains on already weak government services and the instability restricts trade both inside the country and across its borders, limiting the availability of food.

What is Concern doing to help people in Burundi? 

They are also given support to build a kitchen garden and an opportunity to be part of a savings and loans scheme.

The approach is especially effective because it focuses on behaviour change and peer-to-peer communication aimed at stopping malnutrition and easily preventable diseases before they take hold. They explain the benefits of breastfeeding, train mothers to ensure their family get a nutritious diet and show them how to prepare food hygienically and for optimal nutrition.

Mothers whose children are moderately acutely malnourished are enrolled in nutrition sessions where they receive advice on how to ensure their child is getting the diet it needs. Mamans Lumieres, light mothers, are female volunteers and mothers themselves. Concern works with communities to manage acute malnutrition and supports almost 550 Community Health Workers and more than 5,400 volunteers who carry out regular childhood screening programmes. The health workers are trained to spot the early signs of malnutrition and treat coughs, malaria and diarrhoea. When cases of severe acute malnutrition are diagnosed, the mother and child are referred to a local health centre where they receive treatment. However, the limited number of clinics offering these services, and the lack of facilities for complicated cases (there are only two in the whole of Kirundo) mean that there are insufficient structures for severe acute malnutrition treatment.

The future

Families can grow carrots, avocado, sweet potatoes and plants like the protein-rich amaranth. Providing nutrition advice and assistance in times of dire need is just part of the answer.

Our kitchen garden project is a sustainable way for families to feed themselves and provides a community-based solution that makes a real difference in countries like Burundi. They have five healthy children, all of them boys, ranging from age three to 18.

The aim of Concern’s work is to ensure that these communities have a bright and hopeful future. The gardens themselves are very simple: Concern provides seeds and training for families to grow a vegetable patch designed to maximise the production of food throughout the year. Husband and wife Victoria and Bosco earn a living from what they grow on their plot of land and kitchen garden, with Concern’s help.

Tackling Burundi’s malnutrition, one garden at a time

This is done through kitchen gardens: vegetable patches designed to maximise the production of food throughout the year. Concern is on the ground helping families get a rich and varied diet from food they have grown themselves. The latest data available in the 2017 Global Hunger Index shows that levels of hunger are high and worsening each year.

The humanitarian situation in Burundi has been deteriorating with 1.76 million people not having enough food to meet their needs. With the latest data from the 2017 Global Hunger Index showing that Burundi's levels of hunger are “extremely alarming” read about what Concern is doing about it, and how your donations are making a difference.

78% of Burundi’s population live in poverty and the country has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. These kitchen gardens help ensure children have a ready supply of healthy food all year round which particularly makes a vital difference for young children, supporting their physical and cognitive development.

Over half of under-five deaths in Burundi are caused by preventable and treatable conditions like diarrhoea and malnutrition.