Africa - East and Central
Burundi ranks 185 out of 189 on the Human Development Index (HDI). CARE International’s work in Burundi supports women to achieve economic empowerment and civil society to move the country towards peace and economic security.
CARE International originally established an office in Burundi in 1994 to help people affected by civil unrest following the assassination of Burundi's first elected President in 1993. We increased our presence after the Rwandan Civil War when refugees began fleeing into Burundi. In the years that followed, CARE Burundi supported refugee camps inside the country and across the border into the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Today, CARE Burundi supports civil society, and in particular women, to take a more active role in moving the country towards peace and economic security. Our work focuses on supporting women to achieve economic empowerment through small savings groups, and working with communities to prevent malnutrition.
The severe impact of prolonged El-Nino rains in Burundi has caused extensive flooding and displaced over 239,000 people. The crisis has particularly affected women and girls, who face heightened health risks, loss of income, and increased vulnerability to gender-based violence.
Our Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) are a proven way of supporting women to develop financial stability, increase resilience to shocks, and invest in income-generating activities. But at CARE, savings groups are about more than just money.
“During these trying times, being a part of this savings group has really helped us cushion the adverse economic effects of the pandemic. From our social fund we buy food to share. We also use it to help support our children’s education and our hospital needs.” Fati Musa, Nigeria
“When is disagreeing with your partner a sign of success? When it helps you grow more food.”
The Rapid Gender Analysis Report conducted by CARE in Gatumba, Burundi, in April 2024, highlights the profound impact of recent El Niño-induced floods on the local population, particularly on women and girls.
With CARE’s fourth global Suffering In Silence report, we are starting to see a trend of certain countries annually remaining on the list of the most under-reported crises. While we expanded the analysis in 2019 by including Spanish and Arabic online media coverage (in addition to English, French and German), the results are surprisingly similar to previous years.
The year 2017 was marked by scores of humanitarian crises: armed conflicts, devastating natural disasters, climate shocks, hunger, millions of people fleeing their homes.
In FY2023, CARE worked around the world, contributing to saving lives, fighting poverty, and increasing social justice.
