Africa » Burundi » West » Bujumbura
October 20th 2008

Published: October 29th 2008

John and Justice

JRMD/YRWD Poster

YRMD. Youth in Reconstruction of the World in Destruction

Burundi at Last

Months of planning and finally our traveling duo were on their way to the great continent of Africa. We checked in for our flight at the Athens airport and boarded the plane with little out of the ordinary. From Athens to Cairo we flew for the first leg of our long journey. We had a planned layover in Egypt of eight hours… As we entered the Cairo airport, we were offered a complimentary daytrip to see the Pyramids and have a meal at a restaurant nearby. However, after this much time traveling and being keenly aware of the “scam factor” we had many questions before making a commitment. We were reluctant to leave our passports with the airport personnel to take part in the daytrip, which was required. When the issue of money for the meal arose, we asked about exchanging money they stated that we could pay in “Dollars”. When we told them we had none they replied that it was too late to go… hmmmm. So, we retrieved our passports and headed to the transit lounge to sit out the eight hour wait.

Finally, after lots of reading, people watching, pacing, and

Children at Carama

a couple of ‘Mc Arabias’ later, we boarded the flight to Nairobi and safely landed approximately four hours later. Our next flight was to Bujumbura, this time on a different carrier, Kenya Air; it was looking like we’d have to purchase Transit Visas in order to retrieve our bags just to re-check them. Baggage claim was not accessible without purchasing a visa at immigration. So we asked a man in uniform what we could do. It was five AM and the airport was very quiet. He pointed us towards the Kenya Air desk which was on the way to baggage claim. It was empty. Time was ticking, and we still had yet to reach our bags. Just before purchasing a transit visa we decided to check the Kenya Air desk one last time. Luckily, this time, a young man stood behind the desk. We explained our situation; to our surprise he responded that he would collect our bags and recheck them himself, making it unnecessary to purchase a visa. After our bags were rechecked the clock stopped ticking and the waiting game recommenced. Now, fighting sleep was the most difficult task. Four hours later we were once again in the

Carama

Children playing in the river.

air headed to our final destination, Bujumbura.

Descending through the scattered clouds the rich red soil of Burundi smiled before us. Vast vacant land cluttered with huts, long, straight, bright, dirt roads, and vibrant flowers now took our focus as we landed one last time in two days. After purchasing our visas for the next six weeks and collecting our luggage we finally met up with the cheery faces of Mummy and Elisabeth whom greeted us beyond the security check. Along with Mummy and Elisabeth, Kassimere, the driver took us to the family home of Prosper Ndabishuriye, the project director, where we would spend our days during our time here. Sharing their home with us are: Mary, Prosper’s wife, their children Eddy (19), Mylene (15), and Prosper’s niece Sandrine (17). Such wonderful people! We could not have hoped for a more fantastic place to stay for our duration in Burundi. They gave us our own room with a nice bed, complete with mosquito net, and a computer to use. The room is normally Eddy’s but they shuffled sleeping arrangements around to fit us in. They have gone out of their way to make us comfortable.

Prosper

Carama

Sun baked mud blocks that homes are built from.

is in the US doing fundraising so he is not here to share in our visit. We do however speak with him regularly. He is finding his trip difficult due to the economic situation in the States. He however, remains extremely positive and carries on with great enthusiasm.

After a day of rest we began by getting an overview of the projects they have in process. Our first day out began at their housing project in Carama where YRWD have been creating houses for those left homeless during the war. The first in line for homes are the widows with children, of which there are many. The buildings are made of mud block with galvanized metal roofing and eventually get doors and shutters to be complete. They have built thousands of homes and the need is still great. The development is also working on its own church which will give the community a heart, and central point. The road to the construction site of the church stops at a small stream which has a stick built bridge over it and all supplies must be hand carried the rest of the distance to the site (approximately 100 meters). There

Carama

The stick bridge across the river. Materials for building the church must be hand carried over this.

is no fresh water yet available in the housing project and plans for that are on the table but not in the works. There is still so much to do. From Carama we headed south of town to the clinic in Ruziba, where Justice would be spending much of her time. The clinic there is very new and still sorting out the details, however the facilities are good and offer lower cost healthcare than most private practices. During our visit at the clinic Justice sat down with the clinic director Laya to discuss in person her experience as an Ophthalmic Technician and to make it clear that she had no equipment. She explained she was happy to help in anyway possible but that she is not a doctor and that without equipment she is very limited as to what she can do. Still Laya thought that having white skin would help a lot. Taken by the response Justice explained that she was here to help not hinder and would not hesitate to explain exactly what that meant. Justice carefully explained that it was to be made clear to patients exactly what her position was and that she brought no equipment

Cibitoke

Site survey on the first day at the school and orphanage.

with her. Still the clinic was very excited about having her there for six weeks.

The following day we made the hour and a half venture out to Cibitoke to see the orphanage and school project. Past cows, Casava fields, people laden with items, thousands of potholes, and developing communities we traveled. Upon arriving, the school children crowed around us using the few words of English they knew, “Good morning teacher” was the most popular refrain heard. The School buildings were at multiple stages of completion. The main school building and the boy’s dormitory stood ready for roofing. The girl’s dorm, the second school building, and kitchen building, have completed foundations. Additionally, there are plans for a medical education center and clinic. John would be spending the majority of his time here, although it was still unclear as to whether the roof or the secondary school building was to be his focus. It was quite exciting to finally see what we were to be helping with. After viewing that portion of the project and before returning to Bujumbura we all had lunch in the town of Cibitoke at a café that only serves brochettes of BBQ goat with

Cibitoke

Boys dorm in the background. John and Elisabeth sitting on school foundation.

pieces of Uburore made from Cassava root. It was a bit on the bland side but with meat it was tasty and our new friends were delighted to know that we liked it. We then ventured home, with renewed enthusiasm, to rest before beginning our work the following Monday.

On Saturday morning it was time to see a bit of Bujumbura. First thing, it was off to the zoo where we got to hold some of the snakes, see the fish indigenous to Lake Tanganyika, and several Nile Crocodiles. It was a lot of fun. Then we headed for the beach of Lake Tanganyika, the lake that Bujumbura is built on the shore of. Tanganyika is one of the African Great Lakes; it is bordered by three countries: Burundi, Tanzania, and Zambia .We drove to the North side of the city to an affluent area on the shore where there were a few hotels, small resorts and a beach bar area. The lake was clear cool and refreshing; we were however, hesitant to go for a swim after hearing tales of a particular twenty foot plus crocodile, affectionately named Gustav. Gustav apparently has been known to eat people

Cibitoke

Local children playing on site.

now and then… Needless to say we decided that we didn’t really need to swim that bad. After we spent a bit of time at the beach Elisabeth told us that they had a surprise for us. Since we had enjoyed our meal of goat in Cibitoke so much it had been decided that we should all go to a place in town that served it a bit differently. The meat came on a tray covered in onions and seasoning and we learned later that it takes about five hours to prepare this feast. Again it was served with Uburore. The Cassava plant provides Burundians with many of their staple dishes; they eat the root raw, dry the root to make flour that is used to prepare the majority of their carbohydrates. They even prepare the leaves in a delicious dish called ‘lenga lenga’ that is reminiscent of cooked spinach with more body and flavor. The meal was devoured and we all had a grand time.

Monday came and it was time to begin work. Justice off to Ruziba and John off to Cibitoke, it was to be the first day away from each other in many months.

Cibitoke

Local children. Oliver, front center.

We both finished the day feeling a bit overwhelmed. Translation played a big part in our frustrations that day, things seemed to take five times as long to finish when all communications have to go through a third party. As days went by we both settled into our routine and began to feel like we had become a real part of the project.

Burundi is an amazing country, full of color, life, culture, prosperity, poverty, hunger, and optimism. After 13 years of war, you can’t go a day without meeting someone who wasn’t a child soldier with the rebels, someone who buried their parents, children or both, is an orphan, lost everything to start over, or hear a story about how the gunfire and rockets at night would excite the children like a fireworks display. There are equally as many tales of: rebuilding, happiness that the fighting has stopped, prosperity, reunited families, increasing availability of food now that farming is not disrupted, and more. The UN is still an important factor here, judging by the number of supply compounds around and white vehicles on the roads bearing bold UN signage. There are many other organizations as well helping

Cibitoke

Main school building and Oliver.

to nurture Burundi back to health, the international Red Cross, the World Food Bank, numerous NGOs, and more refugee services than you can name. With all the organizations here working toward a brighter future, it is heartbreaking to see firsthand how much more need there still is. Outside Bujumbura (the Capitol city) many of the basic needs of life are still lacking. Many people walk or ride bicycles several Kilometers to and from the families fresh water supply. Homes for the many thousands of displaced people are slowly being replaced, many corrugated steel shacks being the temporary family homes. The children in the countryside are often dressed in rags. A couple of shipping containers full of donated clothes would hardly dent the need. Hygiene… just readily available water and education would create miracles. Yet despite all the hardships, Burundi is filled with optimism and hope. People are able to have their children educated in safe schools. Healthcare for children under five is free, if you can get to an appointment you most likely waited up to six months for. There are new businesses starting in the cities. The youth is energized and positive. The signs of progress are clear and

Nile Croc at the zoo.

beautiful. It’s difficult not to compare them to Asian countries we have recently traveled through that are also in a state of regeneration after war: Cambodia and Vietnam in particular, both of which have more than fifteen years of reconstruction under their belts. Burundi is lacking in infrastructure, however the positive attitude of the people here is brighter than Cambodia and equal to that of flourishing Vietnam.

The political system in Burundi is not yet completely stable, people however, are confident that peaceful elections will continue and that differences will be worked out at the negotiating table, not with weapons. They have had their fill of war and have collectively decided that peace must prevail.

Back to the hills, the Cibitoke project was proceeding nicely. The second school building was the main focus as there weren’t enough funds to do the entire roofing project. Our collective money went towards the purchase of bricks and cement to make the mortar. John and Eddy went the hour and a half drive to Cibitoke five days a week and on Wednesdays Justice went along as well and we all did brickwork. Initially the workers were amazed that John was

Crowned Crane

At the zoo.

there to actually work with them, as that was not the norm. Usually the “Muzongo” (white people) come out and watch for a couple of days and then go on to other projects. After two days John had been accepted as a hard worker and a perfectionist as a builder. There was much joking and questions about the U.S. interpreted by Eddy, and in short order John felt he was a part of the crew. Coming home each night tired and filthy with red dust was a happy change of pace for him. In two weeks the building went from bare foundation to having walls built up around the windows and doors and ready for the concrete to be poured into the corners and support pillars. Once those are poured there is a concrete band poured all the way around to connect the pillars and corners completing the structural integrity of the walls. After two and a half weeks the funds we collectively donated were depleted and we went into a holding pattern waiting and praying for more funds to continue.

During the same time Justice was dealing with her own set of challenges at the Ruziba Clinic.

Chamelion

Something tells me it's all happenin' at the zoo...

Justice saw patients with eye complaints each day she worked at Ruziba. In the beginning this was challenging as the church that supported the clinic had announced in Kirundi at church one Sunday that a physician from the U.S. specializing in eyes would be working at the clinic for six weeks. Not understanding Kirundi, made this announcement difficult to dispute. So on her first day of clinic Justice was greeted by a long line of patients expecting to see an Ophthalmologist with equipment. After a degree of difficulty and frustration to clear up the poorly communicated announcement, patients still continued to flock. Luckily, Justice had a medically trained interpreter for her duration at Ruziba. Laban made an announcement that cleared up any misunderstanding that patients might have in addition to expressing her disappointment with the message to Laya. After clearing the air Justice sat with each patient and Laban in her own designated room to question patients about their complaints.

Before seeing patients the clinic handed her a box of donated spectacles from the U.S., hoping she could find a pair for each needed patient. With a cheeky giggle and a sigh she sifted through the box trying

Python on John

This dude took a snap at me... he's quick... but I was faster.

to decipher reading glasses from distance glasses etc. Explaining to Laban that in order to read the distance glasses she would need a lensometer and in order to determine who the needy patients were she would need an eye chart and a phoropter, however the reading glasses could be of some help. After labeling all the glasses she could and placing them in plastic bags she set them aside for later use. One of the main intensions of this volunteer experience had been to learn from each others culture and experiences, that’s exactly what happened. Justice learned that she could be of more help than previously thought. The biggest highlights amongst many were teaching patients about hygiene, contamination, STDs, how the eyes work, sun damage etc.; basic knowledge that we often take for granted in the western world. It is simply mind-boggling how little education so much of this population has. With every interview and conversation much was revealed to Justice as much as to her patients.

After the first day Justice made a full scale tumbling E eye chart to hang on the wall twenty feet from view. Being that language was a dense barrier, the E

Clinic at Ruziba

Out front.

chart worked wonderfully to cut through the interpreter. As long as Laban gave instructions beforehand Justice could read the patients hand directions to ascertain weather or not they could see the letter on each indicated line. Previously, assuming that the plastic bags full of bifocals, trifocals and singe distance glasses would be of no use, Justice got yet another opportunity to practice with an open mind: patience, compassion and innovation all at the same time.

After a long day of seeing patients, it appeared that volunteering had finished for the day; when one last middle aged woman stumbled into the clinic waiting area. She was dressed in typical bright Burundian colors topped with a matching piece of fabric wrapped carefully around her head. Her smile was angelic and magically lit up her face when she saw that Justice was still there. She explained enthusiastically to Laban that the church had agreed to pay for her to be seen and also for a pair of glasses. Upon hearing this, guessing that she was in need of distance glasses and had no funding to see an optometrist, Justice felt discouraged. After taking her visual acuity and assessing that the woman’s

Clinic at Ruziba

Reception desk.

vision was 20/400 in both eyes at distance and only slightly better for reading, (meaning she would not be able to recognize the difference between a friend or foe at twenty feet) Justice came up with an idea. She explained to the woman that its highly unlikely, however, she was welcome to try on every pair of glasses we had to see if they could improve her vision at all. After explaining why it was highly unlikely Justice, Laban and the woman began the relentless task. After trying on three unsuccessful pairs of bifocals the woman began to cry, the fourth pair she tried on yielded a shocking response. The woman squealed in Kirundi that she could see everything in front on her at a distance as well as close up on the reading card. Slightly disbelieving, Justice led her to the distance chart to prove her excitement. After testing her eyes separately wearing the glasses both eyes proved to have 20/40 vision just two lines away from perfect. As if God had lovingly placed this pair of glasses into that box for her he had also made sure they looked nice on her and included a sturdy box for

Laya

there keep. Some things in life are simply unexplainable, and better that way. One thing was certain this woman’s decade had been made. Not only did she get down on her knees to thank Justice, but she also returned the following day for five more thank you’s and a lesson on how to clean her glasses. Justice learned an important lesson that day as on many other days throughout life and in the clinic, anything is possible if we don’t let our previous ideas get in the way.

Clinic progressed and so did Justice’s ability to help people, by not letting her previously learned standards and procedures get in the way. Justice learned what problems most commonly plagued this population and their symptoms. She made certain that each patient got a relevant teaching to their complaints so they could go fourth and practice prevention opposed to waiting ten years till they had enough money to be seen for a common eye infection that could eventually make them blind or worse, already had. For problems outside of her scope Justice encouraged patients to see the appropriate specialists and gave them an idea of how long not to wait. Others

Justice and patient

got lessons on why people have difficulty seeing up-close after a certain age and a pair of reading glasses to aid them with bible reading. Still others got a lesson on the transmission of organisms such as Chlamydia, a common problem in Africa, into the eyes and why it’s important to treat both the eyes and the source. With the help of the clinic they were able to culture these patients and treat both, thus aiding their eyes as well as they’re future children and future well being. Many got an education on sun damage to the eyes as it is very common for this culture to work in the sun 8-10 hours a day for a lifetime never considering the benefit of sunglasses or a hat. Because patients were reluctant to change their behavior, to wear sunglasses, not culturally acceptable, but were suffering severely from sun damage, Justice asked them if they knew anyone with prescription glasses. Sure enough they did and these were accepted because they had medicine in them. Justice told them “that’s exactly what UV protection is, medicine in the glasses, against the sun.” Not untrue, patients appeared to respond acceptingly to this answer; to their

Laban and Justice

community they could explain their need to wear sunglasses. Certainly not a bad thing to teach your fellow community suffering from the same problem either!

Perhaps the most eye opening patients were the multitude of neglected children. Justice had one patient apparently born with painful blisters around her eyes, not present while at the clinic. At fourteen years of age this young soul dressed in dirty rags was timid and reluctant to look up. Because of the possible nature of the problem Justice asked her Mother if she had any blisters on her body as well, indicative of genital Herpes that can be passed on at child birth. Mom denied ever having any blisters on her genitals. Justice then set up the next question to the young girl carefully, making sure she knew everyone in the room was there to help her. She asked if she had ever had sexual intercourse or had been raped. The girl responded she had been raped at the age of seven. The following questions revealed that she also began having blisters on her genitals shortly following the rape, which mom was only now learning. Justice fought the tears. To think that this

Coworkers at Ruziba

is a common incident is heartbreaking. As the patient didn’t present with any blisters and denied symptoms that would indicate they had entered into her eyes, Justice with the help of Laban, strongly encouraged the pair to see an Ophthalmologist when funds were saved. Additionally and perhaps more importantly at the time Justice explained to Mom the need for her young daughter to be counseled and examined thoroughly. Luckily, the clinic that Mary, Prospers wife, works at specializes in cases like these. Together they were able to suggest a place with directions that would also not charge for their services. Before leaving the clinic that afternoon the patient and her Mother agreed to seek help. They also left knowing how to prevent the blisters from spreading as this would most likely be an incurable condition, the urgent nature of the problem if it entered the eyes, and the importance of keeping the containers of drops previously given to show future doctors to avoid repetitious useless treatment.

This is the sad story of one little girl that is unfortunately all too common, especially during the war. There are so many like her. Now that the war has ceased and

Ruziba

Waiting in line for the pharmacy.

Burundi promises to be at peace there is so much that can be done for this country if we only choose to reach out...

On lighter days, such as our weekends, we engaged in some interesting side trips and events. One weekend we traveled to the border of Congo, which is amazingly close to Bujumbura, and were able to cross the border on foot to see the other side. On the Congo side we asked if we would be allowed to take our photo next to the sign saying ‘welcome to Congo’ and received two answers… One guard said that it was no problem, the other guard overheard the request and stated that we could not, unless, we paid a ‘fee’ to him… riiiight. Needless to say we skipped that photo opportunity and took a couple of snaps from the Burundi side. On a different Saturday we were invited to attend the wedding of a friend of Elisabeth and Prosper’s family. We all got dressed up and headed out to the church. We arrived a bit late, however the couple arrived more than an hour after us, as they had gone to City Hall to sign the official

Ruziba

Medical transport.

documents first. Great! That meant we definitely were not late. Turns out it was a Catholic ceremony, which basically means that it was very long and we didn’t understand any of it. With the ceremony completed we all ventured forth from the church to the location of the reception. Once there we took our seats on the groom’s side and settled in to watch the festivities. The bride and groom entered to the singing of the Burundi drummers. An amazing sight to behold indeed! We learned that it was traditional drumming of the Hutu tribe which is famous world wide, with good reason. Afterwards, another ceremony began… Apparently, the church ceremony was the modern ceremony and what we were now watching was the ancient custom of elaborate speeches by both fathers detailing the exchange of dowry and welcoming the other family into theirs. This was the traditional wedding ceremony of Burundi, predating Christian practices. It was extremely interesting to watch. The festivities concluded with guests presenting their gifts personally and the couple exiting to more of the Drummers’ performance. Truly, it was a memorable day.

Funds have been exhausted for the building in Cibitoke and even for making

Clinic at Ruziba

Waiting room and eye chart.

it to the clinic full time, the idyll days drag by as we are used to a faster pace of traveling and activity. We are making the best of it and taking the opportunity to plan our forward travel needs, like flights, visas and hotels for our late night arrivals in Rio and Buenos Aires. John is getting a chance to spend some time playing his guitar, and we’ve finished almost all of our English literature. This will be a much needed reduction of weight in our bags when we finally depart for South America. Eddy has a laptop and is gracious in his sharing of it as we watch a fair amount of English movies on it at night, often in the day as well…lol. In return, Eddy loves guitar yet does not own one and John loves having the opportunity to be able to offer him the use of his guitar, which he takes him up on frequently. He has gotten quite good in the short time we have been here and we’re sure he will own his own in no time. Mary continues to cook us amazing, delicious meals every day and we enjoy many enlightening conversations

Clinic at Ruziba

Nice bathroom...

over dinner. Much of what we know of the history, culture and politics in Burundi we owe to this. Justice enjoys spending time talking to Mary and helping her with meal preparation when she gets the chance. The two of them get on famously and the conversations can last hours. This family and their hospitality will remain close to our hearts forever; our time here would not be the same without them.

Although different than we had anticipated our experience here has been rewarding, insightful, joyful, mind opening, frustrating at times, but most of all, a memorable adventure that we’ll carry in our hearts for the rest of our lives. When the project is complete we hope to return to Burundi for the opening ceremony of the school and orphanage in Cibitoke. In the meantime we will continue to do our part towards fundraising for this necessary cause.

So stay tuned faithful readers for the next episode of ‘Where Are They Now’. Find out how our Dynamic Duo resolves their time in Burundi; how the Brazilian visa situation pans out, and what yet unexpected adventures present themselves to our traveling team…

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