Give street children in Burundi a future

As you will know, New Generation moved to their new site last year - a piece of land, in Bujumbura, bought through the generous support of Street Action supporters. Last month, I was part of a small team from the UK who visited New Generation and we were able to sit and hear the vision their leadership team has for the future, on the site that will provide the base for that vision.

Various temporary buildings have been erected over the last year to enable New Generate to operate from the new site, but preparations for laying foundations for the first permanent building are about to begin. Building will take place in phases over the next few years, the extent and speed of which will depend on the level of funds that can be raised. But however quick or slow this progress is, the simple reality is that it is an exciting, if daunting, time for the organisation.

Since Dieudonne Nahimana began providing support to a few children living on the streets of Bujumbura over 20 years ago, New Generation has always had a nomadic existence. So the development of the new site is so important for their long term security and stability, as they continue to look to improve the care they provide for children within the project, and reach out to more children on the streets of Bujumbura. All as part of a vision to see the country of Burundi changed for the better, change driven by the young people of the country.

Thanks again. To all of you who have regularly supported New Generation, through Street Action, for many years. And those who are newer supporters and have provided substantial sums to make this possible.

We are truly grateful.

The Entrepreneurship training started on the 14th of February 2018 and was conducted for young people living on the streets who are of 20 years age and above. The majority are still living on the streets.

New Generation has signed a partnership contract with a business firm called BDS ( Business Development Services) specialized in the Entrepreneurship training for people who have never been to school.

What made the learning more engaging was the use of images instead of narration and text which helped with a smooth understanding of the program. Practical games depicting real life events and situations were also included as part of the training.

They also underwent coaching sessions which allowed them to elaborate their business plans.

Arielle, a young lady who works as a volunteer at New Generation, assisted the students throughout the training. She was also available after the training for these students for further clarifications on their business plans. One of the students had recently come out of prison and was working on a business plan which had turned out to be unsuccessful. After the training and some time spent with the teacher outside the class environment, he was able to steer the business idea towards a realistic project.

Unfortunately, one of the young people passed away due to a sudden illness.

19 young people were able to get their business plans printed out but 4 of these business plans seemed to be more realistic than the rest.

The coaching and training sessions are still ongoing for these young people and we are planning to start another class and welcome more people.

Thank you to all of you who have regularly supported New Generation, through Street Action, for many years. And those who are newer partners and have provided support to make this possible.

We are truly grateful.