Social Issue

Burundi is one of the ten poorest countries in the world, after a war that has greatly undermined its economy and scared away any kind of outside investment initiatives.  The country is in a desperate level of poverty in which the level of education, the illiteracy of the population, the shortage of teachers, the overcrowding of classrooms and the high drop-out rate in schools due to economic reasons are among the most pressing problems.

Bomba hill, with a population of 3,249, has an elementary school with just over 600 students but no secondary school. To continue their studies, young people have to go to the nearest schools: The one in Museny at 9 kilometres away, and the one in Marenga at 11 km. This is one of the main causes of school dropout.

Our Response

To solve this problem, we built and equipped the Bomba secondary school, with a capacity of 200 students. We follow the standards set by the Burundian government, which means that it is a school with three classrooms and three toiletes.

Expected Social Impact

The social impact of the construction of the school is significant. The objectives to be achieved are:

• Increase the quality of education in the area.
• Adapt to the new international curriculum of the East African Community.
• Reduce the school dropout rate.
• Reduce overcrowding in nearby centres.
• Help consolidate a teaching staff in rural areas.

All this without forgetting the direct impact on 200 children who can continue their secondary education.