Burundi

WPHF is channeling rapid and flexible financing to women’s civil society organizations in Burundi working to enhance local women’s participation in decision-making and conflict prevention, and promote their economic empowerment and recovery.

Our Work

In Burundi, WPHF is filling critical funding gaps for women’s civil society organizations and feminist groups mobilizing to enhance women’s leadership in decision-making, as well as in formal and informal peace negotiations and conflict prevention processes at the grassroots level.

WPHF is also promoting the economic empowerment of women and girls across the country — enhancing their access to a range of financing and entrepreneurship initiatives at the local level.

Our Partners

WPHF is supporting 19 projects implemented by 32 women-led and women’s rights civil society organizations in Burundi:

Enabling Environment for WPS & Conflict Prevention

• Agir pour la Solidarité et le Développement Durable (ASDD) on a project to i) build its organizational and operational capacities; ii) improve its level of accountability for increased effectiveness; iii) support its ability to participate in and strengthen peacebuilding, reconciliation, conflict management, gender equality, and respect for women’s rights; and iv) take care of expenses, cover staff salaries, and purchase equipment.
• Association our la Promotion de la Fille Burundaise (APFB) — together with Association des Femmes Rapatriées du Burundi (AFRABU) and Association Fontaine ISOKO — on a project to strengthen the role of women in peacebuilding at the community level through the establishment of a network for conflict prevention and early warning with local administrations, and through the creation of spaces for consulting with administrations to sensitize them on the vital role of women in peacebuilding processes and initiatives.
• Saemaul Undong Burundi (SUB) on a project to sustain the achievements of the previous phase — aiming to promote the meaningful participation of women and girls in conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, social cohesion, and decision-making bodies through i) collaborations with councils of notables; ii) capacity-building for women leaders and mediators to participate in conflict prevention and resolution; and iii) community decision-making bodies.
• Association pour une Jeunesse Africaine Progressiste (AJAP) — together with Action Burundaise pour l’Afrique and Flambeau de la Vie — on a project to enhance women’s resilience to actively participate in conflict prevention and strengthen social cohesion by building the organizational and operational capacities of local women’s organizations, as well as by promoting women’s and girls’ entrepreneurship as an important factor in conflict prevention through technical and financial support for local women-led businesses.
• Cadre d’Accompagnateurs pour la Création d’Emploi et le Développement au Burundi (CACEDEBU) — together with Action pour la Paix et Développement Communautaire (APADECO) and Maitrise, Apprentissage et Technique (MAT) — on a project that contributes to social cohesion and peacebuilding by providing women with social, economic and political spaces to interact, learn and acquire livelihoods through capacity building, advocacy, awareness raising, and economic empowerment.
• Unissons-nous pour la Promotion des Vulnérables (UPV) on a project that aims to reduce conflicts and violence related to land rights and those between refugee, displaced and host communities, as well as to foster women’s transformative leadership in changing community members’ attitudes and norms hindering women’s meaningful participation in community-level conflict management processes and structures. The ultimate goal is to increase women’s participation in local and national conflict prevention and management.

Other Projects

• FVS Amie des Enfants — together with Foie en Action and Action Santé pour Tous (AST) — on a project to strengthen women mediators’ economic empowerment and increase their contribution to peacebuilding through income generating activities, early warning, and solidarity groups.
• Dushirehamwe — together with Collectif pour la Promotion des Associations des Jeunes (CPAJ) and Radio Ijwi ry’Umukenyezi (RIU) — on a project supporting women mediators, youth, and media networks to reinforce conflict prevention, resolution and early warming mechanisms, as well as to build their capacity in leadership, mediation, conflict resolution, advocacy, and non-violent communication.
• Association Femmes Rapatriées au Burundi (AFRABU) — together with Association pour la Promotion de la Fille Burundaise (APFB) and FONTAINE ISOKO — on a project to empower women and girls in their professional lives and increase their participation in decision-making bodies through advocacy.
• Solidarité de la Jeunesse Chrétienne pour la Paix et l’Enfance (SOJPAE) — together with BDD-CARITAS BUBANZA — on a project to strengthen the capacity of women peacebuilders, solidarity groups, and vulnerable women in financial education, peaceful resolution of conflicts, community decision-making, and mobilization for a fair and just recovery.
• Saemaul Undong Burundi on a project to reinforce and sustain the peacebuilding and social cohesion efforts of women and girls mediators through capacity-building and economic empowerment.
• Alliance des Imam du Corridor du Nord pour le Développement Humanitaire (AICNDH) on a project to enhance the socio-economic recovery of women and girls through economic empowerment activities and their increased participation in peacebuilding and conflict prevention and resolution.
• Abazimyamuriro Bazira Imbibe (ABI-Burundi) on a project supporting 525 women grouped in 35 mutuelles de solidarité — enabling them to participate in the socio-economic recovery of 10 provinces of Burundi.
• Burundi Leadership Training Program (BLTP) on a project to strengthen social cohesion at the community level through dialogue, information sharing, and civic education. The initiative aims to build the capacities and economically empower women mediators in Burundi.
• Dushirehamwe — together with Association des Guides du Burundi (AGB) — on a project promoting the leadership of women and their organizations through community-level economic empowerment initiatives and advocacy support for peacebuilding and recovery initiatives.

Background

In Burundi, political and electoral conflicts led in 2015 to confrontations between security forces and protesters, displacement of populations, and growing tension throughout the country. This is compounded by a lack of reliable information that has had the effect of inflaming tensions.

After the government signed the Arusha peace agreement in 2000, Burundi initiated a democratization process that culminated in the general elections in 2005. During the 2015 national elections, a violent conflict among the country’s political elites sparked a security crisis that ravaged the country and is still currently underway. After the 2020 elections, Burundi entered the peacebuilding phase, albeit with growing challenges to peace and stability. Severe limits on civil and political freedoms continue to highlight the persistent fragility of the State, and the level of representation of women in government bodies remains one of the assets to build upon.

The conflict in Burundi has dramatically shaped the lives of women and girls. In addition to bearing the brunt of the country’s economic hardship, women are victims of detention, disappearances, and often stand witness to the slaughter of their children and relatives. They also represent most of the refugees or IDPs whose gendered needs often go unaddressed as they struggle to survive in camps. Violence against women in Burundi is rampant and women and girls are victims of rape with limited legal recourse.

Our Vision

In Burundi, WPHF aims to ensure the financing and coordination of local civil society organizations working to empower women and girls as key actors in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and economic recovery — amplifying their critical work at the community level to build sustainable peace across the country.