Burundi's civil conflict, interlaced by ethnic and regional divides, has claimed an estimated 300,000 lives since 1993. After more than 12 years of conflict, a newly elected government and president have been in place since August 2005.  The International Rescue Committee began emergency assistance in the northern part of the country in 1996, and over the years we have worked in 11 of the 16 provinces. We have helped approximately 250,000 repatriates return to Burundi, with an estimated 120,000 internally displaced persons still living on sites.

How We Help

The IRC initially focused on emergency water and sanitation services. When portions of Burundi began to enter a period of post-conflict transition in 2000, the IRC expanded its work to include community rehabilitation and peace-building initiatives. Today, the IRC continues to operate environmental health programs and distribute emergency supplies to those in need. We also provide education, life- skills and psychosocial counseling to children and adolescents, demobilize child soldiers, and reunite families separated by dislocation.