Get to know the Batwa Pygmy Tribe from Burundi...
Taking a two hour drive up to the mountains on a narrow gravel road to visit the Batwa Pygmy tribe. Batwa occupy the role of second-class citizens. They lack marketable skills, having neither access to their traditional forest economy or to any public services. Education, healthcare, landownership, and equal treatment by the justice system are all less accessible to the Batwa than the general population. Without the availability of traditional or state resources, the Batwa became the most vulnerable and the most easily exploited population in Burundi.
The Batwa people were hunters but as more immigrants arrived in Batwa forests and turned them into farmland or pasture, the Batwa diversified their activities. In addition to hunting and gathering they moved from farm to farm, the men offering their services as protectors, craft workers and laborers, while the women worked as potters. As greater numbers of immigrants arrived, they turned more and more forest into farmland and it became increasingly difficult for many Batwa to obtain wild foods and other forest resources. So they basically became enslaved, working on farms for food and housing in return. We bought four hectares of land, equipment and all they need to farm. We also provide them with some food until their first harvest. All the proceeds of the harvest will go to them in our effort to make them self sustainable.
These people are known as the forgotten people, but not forgotten by God! Last year, God directed us to purchase land in order to help them become self-sustainable and free from the yoke of slavery. We provide them with food until they are able to harvest their own. The team set up a clinic in the bush and on Saturday they received free medical care. They have no access to medical care because they have no proof of identity, they simply cannot afford to obtain this. The Gospel was shared and many came forward to follow Christ. Many of them are suffering pneumonia due to the coldness. We were able to raise funds to purchase blankets. This past 6 months the Batwas have built stick huts to live in. Most huts house 5-9 people, with no furniture or bedding, just a few bricks which serve as a place to cook and a grass mat. When rainy season comes these sticks will not be able to withstand the weather making the Batwas homeless yet again. We worked out an agreement with local Pygmy masons to construct homes for the 55 Pygmy families living on the land. For $700 they will have a 5 meters x 7 meters mud brick with cement exterior and a tin roof home, each with two rooms and small living space in the middle between the two rooms. Please let us know if God is pressing on your heart to help with this project as construction needs to be completed before the rain starts in October.
