Grant Agreements Signing Ceremony, August 18, 2016 (August 22, 2016)

August 22, 2016

African Development Foundation

On August 18 2016, Ambassador Robert Whitehead, Charge d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Burundi, signed grant agreements with five Burundian associations for an amount totaling 44,561 US dollars in partnership with the United States African Development Foundation (ADF) based in Washington D.C. The goal of these annual projects is to allow local communities to implement income generating activities, to promote economic growth and ensure self-sustainability within the country.

ALCP UMURI received $5,080 to open a collection and sales center for dairy products.  The funds will be used to purchase construction materials, bicycles, shop equipment and 40 goats.   The association will contribute with land, labor and installation costs. The project will benefit 120 people living in the remote area of Kigamba in the Cankuzo province.  This association was funded in 2012 to start their cow keeping project. This new project will add value to their current activities and enable its members to take the organization to the next level.

ipsdi (Initiative Pour la Santé rurale et le Développement Intégré)was awarded a $17,934 grant to start a chicken coop for a group of 135 refugees living in the Karurama camp. The grant will be used to pay for 1,500 chickens, construction and equipment for two chicken coops, part of the chicken medicine, part of the labor costs and veterinary fees.  Beneficiaries will contribute with land, part of the construction materials (bricks, wood), part of the chicken medicine, training materials and supplies, part of the labor costs and cover monitoring and evaluation costs.  The project is located in the Rugombe commune of the Cibitoke province where refugees are living a hard life and are in need of income generating activities.

forum pour la promotion du developpement de la jeunesse au burundi (fpdj) was given $5,692 to modernize the association’s current bee-keeping project benefiting 149 impoverished households living in Muramvya.  The budget includes the purchase of 100 moderne bee hives and 100 traditional bee hives, part of the construction materials and the honey making equipment (including an extractor). The association will provide most of the construction materials and part of the bee keeping supplies. The honey will be sold and the income used to invest in other community projects and supplement the beneficiaries’ personal income. By modernizing the bee hives, the association will produce more honey and increase its profit.

dushirehamwe signed a $6,340 grant to start a vegetable growing project for 50 families living in the commune of Kirundo.  Funds will be used to pay for agricultural equipment, seeds and fertilizer while land and labor will be given by the benefiting group.  The group plans to grow cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce and other vegetables to improve their own nutrition and generate income for their families.

COOPERATIVE D’APPUI AU DEVELOPPEMENT DES APICULTEURS (CADAB) was granted $9,746 to improve its bee keeping project for 620 cooperative members living in Kabezi, Rural Bujumbura.  Funds will be used to purchase 120 bee-hives and honey-making equipment (protection kit, extractors, and flower seeds). The association will provide land as well as salaries for the guard and technician/trainer. It will use honey to make honey based products and sell it to local residents in order to increase its members’ income and provide them with better means of living.