Plea For Help: An Urgent Need in Burundi
As the world media and hundreds of relief efforts from around the globe have been focused on the tragic earthquake that has taken thousands of lives in Nepal, another tragedy has been developing with little to no spotlight or media attention. According to the United Nations Relief Agency, more than 50,000 citizens of Burundi have been forced to flee from dangerous violence near their homes. Now, these 50,000 innocent people are running and desperately working to survive as refugees. According to the Red Cross, multiple civilians have died from violence in the country.
More than 50,000 People have been displaced as fighting erupted near their homes.
Conflict arose around political activity in the country. Now, sadly, great progress and a period of ten years of peace has come to a crashing end. Despite warnings from the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, much of the violence and problems in the country continue. Thankfully for the poor innocent people who have been forced into homelessness, some neighboring countries have been setting up refugee camps for the children and families.
Chaos Unfolds, Can You Imagine Your Town All Evacuating With No where to Go?
With the help and generosity of our many compassionate CHRF donors, we have been able to respond to this crisis by sending support to our partners who are currently on the ground at a refugee camp this week in Rwanda. The team is working hard to provide the child victims and their families with drinking water, some food and shelter. But the need is still great. Next week the team will travel to Tanzania where the needs of the children are even greater.
Our Partners Share A Happy Moment with Children that together we were able to help!
If there is anything you can do for these people, CHRF and our partners would be eternally grateful for your support (Please Mark the Box Burundi Refugee Help)
As always, please keep these children and their families who are suffering through a nightmare in your prayers.
Great News for Children in Burundi!
Miracles occur in all different shapes and sizes
CHRF Donors have been providing miracles for children in need for years by helping to provide a meal, a home, a family, an education and most important of all, a reason to hope that their lives will continue to get better because of the love and generosity of people like our CHRF Donors and team.
This week Children’s Hunger Relief Fund is excited to announce that we will be helping 100 Children in Burundi go to school to receive a priceless education for the 2012-2013 School year!
Why Burundi?
After helping the children find the support they needed in the past to attend school our hearts broke to hear the children’s stories of how desperate they are for an education, and how desperate the situation truly is:
In His letter our exceptional Team Leader Wrote to us:
“My heart breaks when speaking with some of these beautiful children, One student confessed to me how she and her two sisters share one school uniform. This means that she could only attend class every third day, when it was her turn to wear the uniform. “It was hard to keep up with the class and my other classmates when I was missing so many days of instruction each month,” she lamented.
Another boy told me how his family was blessed enough to live close to a school, and he was able to find schoolbooks. But when the monsoon season came, there was no dry place to put his books and papers because they lived in a grass hut, so the rains ruined them all. He was unable to afford a new set and could no longer attend school.
Many of the children told me how they could not focus on their school lessons because they would go days without eating and their stomachs throbbed with pain. Now however they will have enough food to sustain them through their days at school!
About Burundi
Burundi is a small country nestled in the heart of Africa, sitting along Lake Tanganyika near its neighbors, Congo and Rwanda. The United Nations often ranks Burundi among the poorest nations of the world, usually it is noted as the third poorest country on the globe.
In Batwa villages you will find many children, but few students. It is a reminder that education is still one of the largest hurdles on the horizon for the Batwa. Too often families cannot afford school fees; let alone uniforms, books and supplies that are required for each student.
But the tide is turning for one small community of 30 Batwa families in Matara. Sponsored by Children’s Hunger Relief Fund, families in this village are getting a chance at a better life, and that includes education for their children The 100 children of Matara have been enrolled in the school and are set to begin in September. The children will be able to walk to school, have enough food to sustain them, and even a dry place for their books. This time they will have a real chance at success in school.
Thank you to all of our generous Children’s Hunger Relief Fund Donors, Friends & Team for helping stories of hope like this one come true!