It has taken four months to conduct the sustainability study, two months of land negotiations with the owner and two weeks of paper work to secure the title transfer… but we finally have purchased the right land for the Batwa Community Development Project!

The land is situated in Matara, which is only 15 miles from the city center of Bujumbura. Matara is a high altitude location in Burundi, meaning that the nights are often cold. The region is known for their tea plantations, which can be seen as far as the eye can see. Trees are abundant, adding to the lush green beauty of this locale. Another distinctive feature of Matara is the pride that the locals take in their livestock, cows in particular. This property seems to be a fertile place for a community to set down roots and grow!

While some on the Community For Burundi board dedicated their time to oversee the feasibility study and land negotiations, others focused on the Batwa family selection process. Their efforts yielded 30 families that are well suited to join this first effort, families that currently have no land but are eager to work and build something for themselves and their children. The CFB board is confident that these families understand the challenges ahead and are willing to try something new together, hoping it will bring a better future for generations to come.

Now that we have the land secured and the families selected, we can begin to move forward by bringing the two together! The next step for CFB leadership will be to assist the families in relocating to their new home in Matara. The hope is that May 15th will be moving day! The new community members will construct temporary homes to begin, and together plan the building of the permanent homes. Farming will be among the initial steps, growing food for your family as well as some to take to the market. Raising farm animals, like pigs and goats, will also be part of the first phase of this project. Again, these animals can quickly offer income for the Batwa families in the early days of development. This is where they will start.

But part of the vision for this village is to develop a large portion of the land as a cash crop to benefit the entire community. The feasibility study has been a great guide, as the results show that this climate and soil are perfectly suited to grow coffee. This will also be a good crop to take to market! So the CFB leaders are planning to borrow a model that has flourished in Uganda, called Crop to Cup. This idea is that the landowners not only grow the coffee beans, but expand their skill set and also do coffee processing on-site. Once the beans are harvested, washed, dried… they will be ready for roasting! This will be the first such coffee farm in all of Burundi!

This Crop to Cup coffee project will require about $50,000 of investment and take 3 years to fully implement. This is a long-term plan for the cash crop that will be a cornerstone in the community’s economic viability in the seasons and years to come. So looking ahead, this is a project that will enable the community members to be self-sustaining and repay their loan, moving them toward their dream of being landowners with resources to support their village.

Community for Burundi is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty for the Batwa families in Burundi by enabling landless families to achieve land ownership and economic stability. Having learned that the root causes of poverty extend across communities and are passed down from generation to generation, our model of development is holistic, sustainable, and focused on long term results. This commitment to the long-term sustainability of a whole community serves to break the cycle of poverty in all its forms.

In the new few months, we will be posting weekly about the progress of this new community; the families will need your prayers and support.
Peace be with you!

Claude