Burundi: Journey to the Heart of Africa

After an eight hour car trip from Harare to Lusaka, then a cancelled flight resulting in a one day delay, we arrived in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. This tiny nation of six million people is known at “the heart of Africa” because of its central location and shape. It is surrounded by Lake Tanganyika and the Congo. Situated south of Rwanda, Burundi shares the same language and cultural/tribal composition with its neighbor to the north.

Burundi experienced the same tribal killings that Rwanda did (although it began several months earlier in Burundi). There were a series of subsequent violent outbreaks and many people were killed over a 10 year period. Although the world knew about what was happening in Rwanda (albeit belatedly), most people are unaware that the same thing happened in Burundi. There has been peace for five years now.

This is a nation of orphans, widows, shattered families and shattered bodies. It is also the fourth poorest nation on earth. What the statistics don’t reflect is that Burundi is a beautiful country with some of the friendliest and most welcoming people I have ever encountered anywhere.

We came to meet with African Revival Ministries (A.R.M.), an organization dedicated to caring for and transforming the nation, both spiritually and practically. Over the next 2 1/2 days, I met some incredibly dedicated and highly qualified people whose level of commitment to their nation was inspiring.

On Friday morning we met with Dr. Aline Muryango. Dr. Aline and her husband Dr. Euloge, two of the top students in Burundi, were sent to China by the government in the mid 1980’s on full scholarship to be trained as doctors. After becoming fluent in Mandarin, they graduated at the top of their medical school, then returned to a devastated Burundi in 1993. Dr. Aline is the head of A.R.M. In Burundi, overseeing all their projects and clinics. We discussed how Impact Nations could best come alongside of ARM to assist them in their endeavors. Following this, we toured the clinic they have for the very poorest of Bujumbura (known locally as Buja). They have 53 beds, 2 1/2 doctors, and a small lab with several technicians. Every bed was full, often with 2 or 3 family members sitting on each patient’s bed. Much like Osvaldo’s clinic in Nicaragua, Drs. Aline and Euloge are making the clinic sustainable by charging those patients who can afford it, a very small consulting fee; they also charge for the medications (at a greatly reduced rate). In this way, they can keep treating patients, without relying solely on gifts from the west. For several years now, I have been convinced that sustainability is the key to success in the developing world. I was delighted to see that ARM shares the same conviction.

We were then taken to the HIV/AIDS clinic where 800 people receive treatment. They provide vitamins and medicines to fight infections for the HIV patients, and anti-retrovirals for those with full AIDS. They also provide prayer for all who desire it; each Friday afternoon, the outpatients gather for a time of worship, testimonies and prayer. Dr. Euloge then showed me a dentistry trailor that they constructed. It can be used at the main center in Buja, or taken up into the hills to the various villages. It is equipped with everything that is needed for full dental care. What they lack, however, is dentists. He asked me to try to recruit dentists from the West who would be willing to come for 1-2 weeks. I have begun to work on this.

Back at David’s house (he and Sheena live in Buja), we were met by 46 children--they were so excited to see David after his absence (he has been traveling with Steve Wall and me for a week). Almost all of these children were rescued from certain death as infants. Abandoned in streets, among garbage, even one left to die in a latrine pit--these children have been nurtured, loved and educated. Some have already gone on to university. They are not orphans, they are a large, supportive family. All of this happened because an extraordinary woman named Chrissie Chapman.

I met Chrissie at her home, and immediately liked her. We talked for two hours and it flew by as though only minutes had passed. Hers is a long, and amazing story. I will ask David to write a fuller version; however, here are a few of the particulars. Chrissie came to Burundi in about 1990 to work as a midwife. While working at a clinic up in the hills, the tribal violence suddenly erupted. She was pulled out of the clinic along with 17 African co-workers. Chrissie was made to stand there are they were all gunned down in front of her. Somehow she made it back to Buja. As all of the westerners--missionaries, NGO’s, UN and representatives from various foreign governments left--Christie decided to stay and help. She didn’t know what to do, but she knew she was supposed to stay. After a few days, the first abandoned baby was brought to her. Then another. And another. Before long her home was filled with sick, traumatized infants. I think she found herself caring for over 30 of them. She simply tried to keep them alive. Chrissie told me of one night when three infants died in her arms in a span of several hours. Yet she kept going. Some of the children she legally adopted. The others she kept caring for. With help from Cheam Community Church in the UK, she was able to acquire the first building. David will have to fill in the gaps, but that is how this remarkable children’s ministry started. As Chrissie and I talked about God’s justice and mercy, about true religion meaning to care for widows and orphans, I felt that I was with a kindred spirit; yet I also felt humbled by her level of commitment.

All of this was just in our first day in Burundi. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.