Local traditions and culture in Burundi

3 more images

We went on a missions trip to Burundi with a host church to go to - we were totally wonderfully looked after, kept safe with transport and escort, fed with excellent local food and dishes, met wonderful people - we were very busy and had long days visiting various churches and groups (eg orphan and widowed or single mother support groups) and people in positions that requested our support ie the Pastor of the President!

We also were going with the knowledge of intense hardship that people are still enduring in the recovery process from the terrible massacres that ensued across Burundi and Rwanda following the assassination of the then Burundi president. Many people were still locked in jails 15 years later without trial - many people were jailed as a present response to situations with a serious lack of legal personnel available in Burundi - we visited a prison that had 8000 prisoners for 3,200 beds - many with their babies and young chidlren in tow!! can you imagine....but in the last 6 months the Burundi government has allowed the release of many prisoners that have not had trial so that has been a major positive

We also were going with the knowledge that hospitals in Burundi have a practice of locking in their patients who have been unable to pay their hospital bills...no money no surgery but there are cases of those who have paid a deposit and/or their treatment has cost more than expected or just been unable to pay the rest of the account. They are locked in and actually supervised by a person paid to make sure they dont run away! They are not fed by the hospital during the time.
I was told this was common practice amongst many African countries but now decreasing in number but this still goes on in Burundi - let alone the problem of a professional shortfall of doctors and nurses...the hospital we visited had doctors from China and nurses sent and paid for by Egypt...consultants back here in London that were keen to look for patients that needed surgery to sponsor couldnt get the reports they needed because the Burundi doctors then went on strike...

Before going to Burundi we as individuals raised money to take as a group to release as many patients as possible from a list of patients we had been provided with...we knew their ages, gender, how long they had been incarcerated in hospital and how much was owed that kept them there - of 17 on our list we released 11 - as we found a few had already been released by another organisation that day or before
- and we were filmed and broadcast by the local TV station!- we ensured the patient recieved a certificate of release and that we saw the certificate. The most incredible part was that we released a man who had 5 children and had been stuck away from them for 14 months!! So during this time they not only had to endure not having the male breadwinner of the family back but they had to support him when they lived 5 hours by bus away from Bujumburra!! His bill was £2300 and if we hadnt paid who knows how much longer he would have had to wait!!

So for anyone who wants to donate to help please do!! What a difference can be made to even one family if you can donate the bill owed by someone stuck in a hospital!! I have appropriate contacts if you wish to do this - also if you want to send clothes or books directly to Burundi then I can give you the appropriate addresses to do so.