Posted in Batwa Village on Dec 31st, 2009
We joined our friend in Matara yesterday to celebrate together. We gathered in a makeshift meeting room, covered with blue tarps and fragrant with eucalyptus from the fresh branches woven into walls.
There were prayers offered in thanksgiving.
A children’s choir singing, with school uniforms transformed into choir robes!
There was drumming…
…lots of drumming!
Testimonies of God’s goodness [...]
Posted in Batwa Students Housing, Batwa Village on Dec 24th, 2009
Merry Christmas from Burundi! All the students have now returned home for the holiday break and are celebrating Christmas with their families and villages. The families at Matara will celebrate Christmas together for the first time in this new community!
Matara Update
These two families have much to celebrate, as they both have [...]
Posted in Batwa Village on Nov 25th, 2009
Last week the Batwa families in Matara had their first harvest… potatoes! Men and women helped with the harvesting work, and you can see by the smiles that they are proud of their agricultural accomplishment. The students in the CFB house will be sharing in the bounty… keeping some of the harvest in [...]
Posted in Batwa Village on Oct 20th, 2009
It is Training Day in Matara – Micro-finance training, that is. This week a well-respected micro-finance trainer from the region is on site and teaching our families about the principles of micro-finance loans. He is addressing both women and men, with a keen eye on the women, who tend to be the most [...]
Posted in Batwa Village on Aug 31st, 2009
The first child born in Matara is a sweet baby girl! She was born on August 24th, and this picture was taken of her when she was a mere 4 days old. Her parents named her Iribuka, which means ‘God remembers.’ They said, ‘Here in Matara, we know that God remembers us.’ [...]
Posted in Batwa Village on Aug 27th, 2009
In less than three months, the Batwa families have made Matara their home. In less than three months they have built homes, constructed the bulk of 15 latrines, relocated their families and forged friendships with their neighbors. But what I found most amazing when I was in Matara this week, is the sheer [...]
Posted in Batwa Village on Aug 17th, 2009
It rained in Matara this week. This is the first rain since the families moved onto the land, the first rain that found them with weather-proof homes to retreat to while the rain poured down. The families all remained dry during the rain… a first for them!
In other villages where they [...]
Posted in Batwa Village on Jul 29th, 2009
Our friends in Matara are keeping busy these days. Let me just show a bit of what they’ve been up to in the past couple of weeks…
The land receives good attention as the Batwa friends are preparing it for cultivation. You can see the squares of land, allowing room for irrigation once the [...]
Posted in Batwa Village on Jul 3rd, 2009
We read the Old Testament and read the stories of the Israelites. They fled the slavery of Egypt and harsh quotas of Pharaoh, the wandered in the desert for 40 years sustained by manna, water from a rock and an occasional feast of quail, and they stood perched on the banks of the Jordan [...]
Posted in Batwa Village on Jun 2nd, 2009
June 1st was an exciting day for Community For Burundi and their Batwa friends… it was the day that the relocation of 30 families began!
The morning began with more than 30 Batwa men on the land of Matara ready to work and begin preparing a place for their families. Claude and the [...]