After the peace agreement was signed inBurundi in 2003, Maison Shalom launched a vocational training programme to meet the occupational training needs of a large number of demobilized child soldiers, street children, repatriated persons, war orphans and other underprivileged children.
The programme has had a very visible positive impact in Ruyigi: there are no more children begging in the streets of the town centre. This is in stark contrast to the situation observed in the main towns of the country’s other provinces.
The jobs created in the wake of this initiative have enabled many young people to reintegrate professionally into the community.
Since 2005, 1,433 young people have been trained: 186 in carpentry, 30 in masonry,139 in sewing,142 in auto mechanics,100 in the driving school, 617 in animal husbandry/agriculture,159 in soap-making and 60 in plumbing.
REMA Hospital admits on average 15 premature babies for neonatal treatment each month. The babies are transferred from hospitals in eastern Burundi. In some cases, two premature babies have had to share one incubator. The Hospital currently has only two incubators in working order! Save the lives of these delicate infants by donating 5 incubators and 2 resuscitation tables.
