• Burundi is a small country on the north shores of Lake Tanganyika that borders the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Rwanda to the north, and Tanzania to the east. The Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi signed between the rebels and the Government in 2000 set the foundations for the peace process and for establishing political, social and economic order, thereby marking the beginning of the end of more than thirty years of civil unrest
• Since its independence from Belgium in 1962, Burundi has been plagued by ethnic-driven violence which has left more than 400,000 Burundians dead and more than 600,000 displaced both internally and as refugees in neighbouring countries. The socio-political crisis of 1993 caused a mass exodus as more than 400,000 Burundians joined the 200,000 individuals who had previously fled Burundi and settled in refugee camps in western Tanzania in 1972.
• Burundi’s socio-political situation remains fragile. The recently ended 13 year-long civil war and subsequent political tensions in the country have hindered the Government’s capacity to deliver basic services and address human rights violations of especially children and women. Despite slowly moving towards a consolidation of peace, Burundi is still faced with extreme poverty and unsatisfactory humanitarian and development indicators

What we do-

Right To Play began operations in Burundi in late 2008. The program was designed to respond to the needs of the many Burundian returnees who had been repatriated from Tanzania. The program is also a natural complement to Right To Play’s existing programs in the refugee camps of Western Tanzania which are home to a large number of Burundian refugees. Sport and Play as an Effective Tool to Facilitate Peace Building and Holistic Child Development was designed following an extensive needs assessment carried out from June-September 2007 with Norwegian Olympic Committee and Confederation of sports (NIF).

So far-

The program in Burundi will run through 2011. It is expected that by the end of three years individuals, communities, and partner organizations will have the capacity to independently deliver regular sport and play activities that have measurable development effects on children and their communities. Hence, the key focus of the program will focus on sport structure and sustainability, peace conflict and resolution, inclusion and basic education and sustainability. Seven partners have been identified, including: UNICEF; UNHCR; Amani; Ministry of Sports, Youth and Culture; Norwegian Refugee Council; Aprodem; and Centre for National Peace and Reconciliation (CNPR). CNPR will work to develop the Burundi specific Peace Building Resource. 17 Leaders (eight females, nine males) have been trained in Right To Play program resources. 13 of these Leaders were returnees from Tanzania. One of the Master Coaches facilitated the training with Right To Play’s Training Officer.