As we step into 2026, we’re full of gratitude and expectation for what God is doing in Burundi. We’re excited—and ready—to face the challenges ahead as the Gihanga community continues moving toward greater thriving. We’re focused this year on going deeper relationally while we continue towards the development success of this community. Here’s a look at where we are now and where we’re headed this year ⬇️
Water
We’re many months into having clean, beautiful water flowing freely in Gihanga 💦 While walking through the community, it is not an uncommon sight to see children playing in buckets and splashing around having water fights. In many ways, it feels like the well restored a sense of childhood wonder and play to our families. It’s also relieving to see them clean, especially wounds looking less infected, and overall people smelling much more fresh!
A sense of striving has significantly lessened, as the pressure devoted to hours per day to retrieve water on foot in buckets is no longer there. Now, people have time to take care of their families, cultivate their land, go to school and church!
One testimony that blessed us was when the local government officials came to ask us what made our community different from the rest of the communities in the wider area who received water through this project. Other communities are going to the government to buy replacement tap handles when they break (the one part on the taps that sees a lot of wear and tear); but those in Gihanga have collected money from within the village (never asking us for the funds), and covering the cost themselves! This led the local chief to ask us how we’ve managed to create such a level of ownership over this project? “Relationship before development,” was our answer. Go team Yada!
It is clear to us that some basic training in life skills are needed with regards to how to use the water in the best way. We’ll be focusing this year on areas like: how to save money for soap, how to wash clothes efficiently, and how to use this gift of water in healthy ways. It is easy to assume that people will just know these things, but if you never had access to clean, running water in your life, you can imagine it might be a process!
Food Sustainability
After the smashing success of our demo crop of maize last year, led wonderfully by Foundations for Farming, we are now shifting gears in order to move from the development stage to the sustainability stage. To do this, we have given each family half a plot of land to continue farming using the FFF method. One full plot will feed a family all year round, but first we need to see that each family will be responsible before we give a full plot.
The community is currently planting Maize, which should be harvested in March/April. At that point, we will evaluate each family and see where further help or instruction is needed before giving them their full plot. So far, we are seeing 90% involvement – a huge sign of ownership! Our hope is that we would see food sustainability by early 2027.
That said, we’re still at a relief stage with food, given that most families are barely eating once per day. What was harvested in July is long gone, and though we’ve given some of the shared community land to cultivate some vegetables, it is not enough to feed everyone by any means. Just today we were told that one of our Mamas in the community is dying – the main cause being starvation, likely from giving her already limited food to her children. A dear neighbor has offered to breast feed her 3 month old child whilst she can not. Thankfully a gift from God meant Yada could step in and help her family with food for the time being. We are just so grateful for all of you who pray and give to this work.
It is for this reason that we are still investing in the children’s porridge program for another year. In 2025, we thankfully saw these children gain an average of 4 kilos/8.8 pounds! We’re currently looking for someone or a group to sponsor this project for 2026. It is $3,000 for the year ($250 per month). If you would like to own this project, please reach out to us right away.
Stories like we heard today are agonizing, and we’re doing all we possibly can to curb the current starvation crisis facing some of the families. However, we can take heart that we are surely heading in the right direction. Food sustainability is on the horizon. The farmers are doing a fantastic job at putting into practice what they have learned, and we believe breakthrough is not far off! We just need relief systems in place until we reach that tipping point 🙏🏿
Housing
With the close of 2025, we completed six homes! Those families are resting securely and safely today because of your partnership with us – and we can not thank you enough! We were even able to provide solar power to the finished homes with extra designated funds that came in just for light! This will be a game-changer for students especially to be able to finish their homework in the evenings.
As we step into this year, we are ready to build seven more before dry season (June/July). Praise God for this wonderful provision! Our plan is to build four in the next couple of months and then another three once those are finished. While we’d love to build all seven at once, we need to be sure to go at the pace of our building team. We’ve worked really hard with that crew, making sure they are well trained, trustworthy masons and builders who will provide excellent work on these homes so they will stand the test of time.
With the next 7 houses hopefully completed in the first half of this year, we are looking at head at the remaining 20 homes to be built! If this is something you’d like to partner with, please let us know! Here are some of the families who are next on our list ⬇️
Transformation
We’re going to share a bit more in the coming weeks specifically about our goals and plans for community transformation for 2026. While we are deeply invested in ensuring families are safe, secure, fed, and healthy, that kind of development must be accompanied by deeper level discipleship. Stay tuned for more on this!
Thank you again for all you do to partner with us as we see the community of Gihanga step into the abundant life God has for them!
And Happy New Year!