Give street children in Burundi a future

New Generation Burundi has been selected for a technology matching fund whereby any donations will be increased by 50% on Tuesday 21st Feb at 14.00 UK time (9am EST for US supporters) - so please do take 3 minutes to boost your donation - but you will need to be quick as there is only £4,200 in the fund, and 20 selected charities will be competing for the matching. Any donations up to £500 per person will get a 50% match until the fund runs out, probably 10 minutes later!

You will need to donate to this new project page: 

https://www.globalgiving.org/microprojects/it-training-for-the-street-children-of-burundi/

Here is the story....

New Generation has started computer training for the former street children in its Road to School program! It was given 30 old laptops by a higher education college that closed down, and with the help of funds raised by supporters like you, it refurbished a large wooden hut and equipped it to be a computer training room. 

The staff provides basic training, and the project now wants to employ a full-time computer trainer who will be able to run training courses and maintain the equipment. 

The computer trainer will also offer classes for local people for a small fee, and this income will help to cover the costs of training for the street children. 

New Generation's aim is not to simply feed and clothe the street children, but to train them so that they can become a new generation of leaders for Burundi, to help give the country a brighter future. 

Volunteers Rod & Anita Whitehead will be visiting the project for three weeks in March, and will give us an update on other developments.

You can contact Rod at rod@streetaction.org for more information. 

Thanks so much for caring about the street children of Burundi, which is now the poorest country in the world.....

Thankyou so much for your support!

The project has made extraordinary progress in the last 3 years, despite Burundi suffering from severe political unrest and a rapidly declining economy, partly due to the withdrawal of aid. It is now the poorest country in the world according to World Bank data, with an average income per head of only 60p a day. 

This progress could not have been made without the help of donors, and local and international volunteers. Street Action is 100% run by volunteers - if you would like to join our New Generation supporter group, please contact rod@streetaction.org. If we know your skills and interests, then we can get in touch when there is a task that might suit you.

Main Achievements 2014-16

• Number of children in the main program, Road to School, doubled from 37 to 74 street kids.
• Children now receive 3 meals a day, rather than one.
• Wooden accommodation block, showers and toilets built for 12 girls and 12 boys on the main site.
• A 5-bedroom house rented 20 minutes walk away which houses 12 boys and 3 leaders (Eric, Innocent and Sylvester).
• Kids hall constructed with tables, chairs and sofas which provides a living space where the kids can eat, do their homework and relax.
• Original hall for street kids activities & the church replaced by a hall twice the size.
• Cafe by entrance to site renovated. Now offers lunches and one of the best cups of coffee in Bujumbura. Local office workers use it. Employs 4 ex-street children.
• Small convenience shop opened on main road. Employs 2 ex-street children.
• Dieudonne and his family have moved out of the bungalow on the main site into rented accommodation. This has released the space to create offices for the staff.
• Training room in constant use for after-school tuition in computing, English and French, and for staff meetings.
• 30 old laptops donated by a higher education college - used for computing training and a cyber cafe.
• Entrepreneurship competition and training run in 5 provinces. 92 young people selected for full training course, 75 businesses established, 25 have proved successful.
• 20 Peace & Reconciliation events attended by over 30,000 young people in last 2 years.
• University Loan Fund established. First 4 New Generation ex-street children to attend university in 2017 (£1,000 p.a. for fees and living costs).
• New Generation soccer team came 2nd in the Street Child World Cup in Rio. Innocent was top scorer. 
• Dieudonne and 4 boys attended the Street Child Games in 2016. They won 3 gold, 2 silver and one bronze medal. They took part in an excellent Street Child Conference where they learnt how to launch an effective program to help kids living on the streets, and campaign for their rights. 
• House built on 8 acres of land owned by New Generation in Muyinga, 4 hours north of Bujumbura. Agricultural project started with the children of genocide victims and perpetrators working together in a co-operative. 
• Three New Generation youth clubs established. There are now 6 active youth clubs in Bujumbura and other towns. 2 more clubs are dormant but will be revived.
• Streetwork strengthened. Previously only occasional visits to the streets. Innocent became a full-time street worker in late 2015 and maintains contact with 50 street kids. 2 more street workers have just been appointed with the aim of helping 500 street children a year.

I have visited 3 times in the last two years and have been so impressed what New Generation has managed to achieve with only a modest amount of money. Their aim is to "train and equip a new generation of leaders for Burundi" and with our support, I really believe they can do it! Thank you for journeying with us as we try to help them.