Volunteers may stay for 6 months or for a shorter period, but should arrive on the 2nd day of the month (see below).
HOST ORGANISATION:
ABSV is a young volunteer association and is keen to welcome you to Burundi, a beautiful fertile country at the north end of Lake Tanganyika and part of the Great Rift Valley.
LOCATIONS:
1) Buterere (Bujumbura) - Buterere is a suburb on the edge of Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. Most of the people living here are poor and suffer a great deal from flooding when there are heavy rains. Buterere is quite near Bujumbura Airport.
2) Mbuye - Mbuye is a village in Muramvya province, about 110 km from Bujumbura. People here live from agriculture but life is hard. During the civil war some houses were destroyed and they need to be reconstructed.
WORK:
We shall have different activities and volunteers will select which they prefer to join. Activities will include brick making, English teaching, cleaning the areas, intercultural exchange and tree planting. 20 members of the local community and 5 ABSV members will work with volunteers in each activity selected. The working day will normally be 6 hours. On free days volunteers will be able to visit some historical and touristic places in the region.
Accommodation and food:
Volunteers will stay with host families in Buterere or Mbuye. Food will be provided by host families or prepared by the volunteers themselves. There is a chance for volunteers to showcase their own national dishes.
Arrival and orientation:
Volunteers should arrive on the 2nd day of the month to allow for one day’s orientation before starting work. Flights will be met at Bujumbura Airport (Kenya Airways, SN Brussels, Ethiopian) provided ABSV is informed in advance. Visas can be issued on arrival at the airport but need to be extended after arrival.
Security:
Burundi is at peace. There will be elections in May and July but this is not expected to put visitors at risk.
« I can say that the best things about the workcamp and this whole experience were the chance of making a real difference to the lives of very needy children. This is an extremely valuable project where volunteers can have a massive impact. Also the possibility of learning a huge amount about a country so different from our own. I learnt ten times as much by carrying out a workcamp than I would ever do backpacking. »
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