When Yada began partnering with the Nyarumanga, the first priority of the community was education. Many of the government schools do not accept the children from Nyarumanga because many are Twa, and it is assumed they will drop out. The Twa people in Burundi face the most extreme prejudices within the country and have been historically marginalized as an indigenous, nomadic group.

To overcome this obstacle, every Friday, a Yada teacher attends school with the children in order to better tutor each student in the areas where they struggle, and champion them in the subjects where they excel. When they are not in school, they come to Yada where they do their homework, receive extra tuition and a cup of porridge. These touch points connect the teachers and the Yada staff to the children’s families, where relationships are formed through regular home visits. It is through these relationships that parents become aware of business opportunities, pastoral care and spiritual support.

Yada’s tuition program sees that the children are sponsored, in order to have school supplies, uniforms, and a school meal each day. Currently, there are fifteen children not yet sponsored, and in September 2022, there will be around 15 more.

Each September, Yada hosts a back-to-school celebration where the students receive their bags, school supplies, uniforms, shoes and a hair cut. For the first time ever in Nyarumanga there are children attending secondary school!

One of the greatest challenges is transitioning the children off the dump. Educating parents is key, as all they have ever known is life on the rubbish dump. For this reason, Yada now also runs a pre-school. In Burundi, children do not attend school until age 7, and by that time they are street savvy and well accustomed to scavenging the dump. Now, Yada offers preschools for ages 5 to 7 at a site near the community so the children do not have to walk far and become vulnerable.

It is obvious that students who are fed, both physically and emotionally excel in their studies. Thus, in addition to a school meal and tuition, every Wednesday, the students have a time for individual pastoral care with a pastor on Yada’s staff. It is during these sessions the students are safe to process and talk about how they are feeling, their fears, or their hopes. This pastoral care naturally extends to the families as connections are made between the Yada team and the children’s parents.

Our hope is that in the coming season we will be able to expand our team, adding at least one more teacher to more fully cover the bases in caring for the 55 students currently enrolled.