Cookies managing
Cookie Settings
Cookies necessary for the correct operation of the site are always enabled.
Other cookies are configurable.
Other cookies are configurable.
GOOD HOME BURUNDI — IN THE HEART OF AFRICA
Working for the world’s most vulnerable children.
A Rescue Center for Children in Burundi
Childhood in Burundi
- Burundi has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.
- Around 3 million children have lost one or both parents.
- Although education is officially free, most children still have no real access to it.
Children in Burundi need rescuing. And we are here to help.
How the children live at the center
The center needs stable funding before we can fully support every child with food, shelter, and daily care. We cannot take in a child until their place is financially covered by a sponsor.
It costs about $86 a month to care for one child at the center.
We have identified 12 children to begin with. Our plan is to provide them with three meals a day — breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Near the dumpsite in Bujumbura, Burundi’s capital, that is nothing short of extraordinary: for many children here, even one meal a day is not guaranteed.
We also want to provide toys and learning materials. Our larger goal is to create proper sleeping spaces so children can stay overnight in safety.
We already have the house, but it still needs repairs.
We also want to provide toys and learning materials. Our larger goal is to create proper sleeping spaces so children can stay overnight in safety.
We already have the house, but it still needs repairs.
About the center
Good Home Center is a safe place for children who are living in survival mode. Here, they can receive food, shelter, and protection. But right now, we only have the children — and we need support to build everything else around them.
The center house
The situation today
What is needed
The children of the center
Children at the center
Pamela Igiraneza, 6
Pamela has known grief and instability from a very young age. Her father was killed, and when she was three, her mother, overwhelmed by hardship, left her behind. Pamela is now cared for by her older sister, who does everything she can to protect her, find food, and pay rent despite extremely difficult circumstances. They also lost the home they had been living in, which had previously been provided through a disability support association connected to their mother.
Irakiza Yvan, 8
Yvan is an energetic, bright child who has already endured more than any child should. His mother died in childbirth, and his father is unknown. The doctors gave him a name meaning “Almighty God” because no one expected him to survive — but he did. He has grown up without parental love or family support, and today he remains deeply vulnerable and in urgent need of care, stability, and warmth.
Shimirimana Noëlla, 7
Noëlla lives with her mother, but because of alcohol addiction, her mother is unable to care for her. As a result, Noëlla often has to look for food on her own and spends long hours outside trying to survive. Her father lives with another woman and offers them no support.
Nishimwe Edmond, 5
Edmond’s mother is seriously ill and struggles with alcohol abuse, which often leaves her in hospital. His father lives separately in a village and does not support him. Edmond is left to fend for himself — asking neighbors for food or searching the streets. He wears torn, worn-out clothes, and often has nothing else to change into.
Bizimana Ezekiel, 6
Ezekiel’s father abandoned him when he was just six months old, and he has not seen his mother in four years. He now lives with his grandmother, who is seriously ill and rarely able to leave the house. With no stable means of support, Ezekiel often has to search for food on his own.
Caël Nyingikime, 4
Caël has no parents. At times his grandmother looks after him, but most of the responsibility falls on his 17-year-old sister. Their parents were killed in a bombing, and since then the family has been living through immense loss and uncertainty. Caël is still too young to understand the full weight of what has happened around him.
Irakoze Benny Bruillant, 7
Benny lives with his mother, and his father is unknown. For him, finding food each day is already a struggle. The clothes he wears were given to him by the Apostolic Church. His circumstances are so harsh that he is already showing signs of deep emotional distress.
Kenny Iteriteka, 6
Kenny has both parents, but the family lives in extreme poverty. His father has physical disabilities, and his mother survives by begging in the streets. She also struggles with alcohol, which puts Kenny at additional risk. The family lives in a single small room, and Kenny sleeps on the same mat as his parents.
Nicia Igiraneza, 7
Nicia lives with her mother in a small rented room. Her mother is involved in prostitution and regularly brings men into the home, leaving Nicia without safety or protection. Much of the time, neighbors are the ones looking out for her.
Kevin Niyonkuru, 5
Kevin has both parents, but the family is extremely poor and has no reliable access to healthcare. When he gets sick, there is often no money for transport, medicine, or treatment. Illnesses that are usually treatable — such as malaria, diarrhea, or pneumonia — can become life-threatening. Kevin has already lost two older brothers simply because the family could not afford to save them.
Ruhana Mucowimana, 4
Ruhana lives in constant instability, as her family is forced to move again and again. Economic hardship, climate-related pressures, and armed conflict all contribute to the breakdown of family life. In these conditions, Ruhana is often left without safety, routine, or access to even the most basic essentials.
Kevine Mahoro, 5
Kevine is especially vulnerable because of unemployment and severe poverty in her family. Prices keep rising, while her parents struggle to provide even the basics — food, care, and education. At times, in order to survive, she is sent to beg or work in the fields or on the streets.
Team
Center Manager
Gérard, 35
Gérard is originally from Congo. Until university, he grew up among Catholic priests, which helped shape his lifelong commitment to serving others. In 2017, he graduated from university in Congo and went on to work as an accountant and IT specialist with the Salesian priests of Don Bosco.
In 2022, he founded an IT training center in Uvira. The project eventually had to close due to lack of funding, but it showed that Gérard is someone who not only dreams about change, but works to build it.
In 2024, he worked in Burundi as a graphic designer and videographer at the marketing company FURAPOLI SIGNS. In 2025, he became an IT teacher at Heha Happy School.
Gérard brings valuable experience working with children and young people — something especially important for a rescue center, where children need not only structure and care, but adults who can understand, support, and guide them.
In 2022, he founded an IT training center in Uvira. The project eventually had to close due to lack of funding, but it showed that Gérard is someone who not only dreams about change, but works to build it.
In 2024, he worked in Burundi as a graphic designer and videographer at the marketing company FURAPOLI SIGNS. In 2025, he became an IT teacher at Heha Happy School.
Gérard brings valuable experience working with children and young people — something especially important for a rescue center, where children need not only structure and care, but adults who can understand, support, and guide them.