Burundi
Primary School Education

Only 57% of primary school-age children in Burundi are enrolled in education. Many of those who do not have the opportunity of going to school are girls.

The Himbaza School welcomes children from the poorest areas of Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. 607 children attend the school, including 40 children from exceptionally poor backgrounds who have been given bursaries to enable them to go to school and have the chance of an education.

Almost all of these 40 children are orphans who have lost their parents during the years of conflict in Burundi or from HIV/AIDS. Some of the children attending the school are also HIV/AIDS positive themselves.

Himbaza School also has links with the New Hope Orphanage – another project funded by WER. New Hope provides shelter for the children of Congolese refugees who were orphaned during a massacre at the Gatumba refugee camp in 2004. The school offers places to some of the children at the orphanage.

WER has been supporting Himbaza School since 2003 and has provided funds for essentials such as teachers' salaries and school equipment. WER has also funded the construction and refurbishment of classrooms and toilet facilities at the school.