Burundi

Burundi Country Profile

Rural Smiles Foundation is building its Burundi presence through listening, local partnership, and community-led action with rural communities facing linked barriers to livelihoods, health, WASH, digital access, climate resilience, and participation.

Burundi is pursuing long-term national transformation through Vision Burundi 2040–2060 and the revised National Development Plan. These frameworks place attention on economic and social development, human capital, agriculture, infrastructure, digital development, energy, and inclusive growth.

At community level, the development challenge remains deeply rural. The World Bank describes Burundi’s economy as marked by low-productivity activities, with about 85% of employment in subsistence agriculture. This affects rural livelihoods, land use, food security, climate resilience, and access to skills central to household wellbeing.

Digital exclusion also shapes opportunity. DataReportal reported that Burundi had 11.3% internet penetration at the start of 2024, leaving many rural households outside online learning, digital financial services, digital public information, and data protection awareness.

Health, water, sanitation, hygiene, and energy gaps affect schools, health centres, households, and community service points. UNICEF’s WASH work in Burundi focuses on rural and peri-urban communities, schools, and health centres, with emphasis on climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene services.

The issues are connected

Rural Smiles Foundation sees Burundi’s rural development challenges as linked, not separate. A young person cannot build a digital livelihood without skills, access, and online safety. A girl cannot fully benefit from education without menstrual health support, safety, and trusted information. A widow cannot rebuild her livelihood without secure rights, local support, and economic opportunity.

A rural health service point cannot serve communities well without energy, WASH, and community trust. A farming household cannot build resilience without climate-smart practices, market access, and practical skills. This is why our Burundi presence brings together livelihoods, health, digital inclusion, WASH, climate resilience, and local participation through one community-led approach.

Listening first, then building with communities

Rural Smiles Foundation established its Burundi presence last year and is taking a careful, partnership-led approach. We do not want to present ready-made answers before communities and local actors have helped define the priorities.

Our entry point is local trust. We are anchoring the work through Bujumbura coordination and rural engagement with Colline leaders, women’s groups, youth networks, community health actors, schools, faith and community structures, civil society partners, and local authorities.

This approach allows us to listen, map barriers, identify excluded groups, co-design practical interventions, build local capacity, connect people to information and services, and adapt based on community feedback.

ED Rural Smiles Foundation (left), J.B from RetFrarmer (center) and the president farmer coperatives during a monitoring visit in Gitenga province

Rural livelihoods and economic inclusion

Exploring support for women, youth, widows, refugees, girls, and persons with disabilities through enterprise skills, savings groups, digital financial literacy, agribusiness readiness, and rights awareness.

Community health, WASH, and girls’ wellbeing

Building potential partnerships around maternal health information, SRHR education, menstrual health, nutrition, hygiene, WASH awareness, and trusted community referrals.

Digital inclusion and data protection awareness

Promoting safe internet use, digital skills, online safety, personal data protection awareness, AI literacy, and rural inclusion in digital transformation.

Climate resilience and clean energy

Identifying community needs around clean energy for rural services, climate-smart livelihoods, resilient WASH practices, and skills opportunities for youth and women.

Social inclusion and local participation

Supporting community dialogue, inclusion of persons with disabilities, women and youth leadership, local feedback, and safe participation in community development.

Economic Rights and Empowerment

The lead Burundi anchor, focused on rural livelihoods, rights awareness, women and youth economic inclusion, and local enterprise potential.

Health and Health Rights

Focused on community health information, WASH awareness, maternal health, SRHR, menstrual health, and referral support.

Digital Rights and Internet Freedom

Digital inclusion, safe technology use, data protection awareness, and rural digital participation.

Renewable Energy and Climate Resilience

Clean energy, climate-smart livelihoods, and resilient rural services.

Social Inclusion and Civic Space

Framed through community participation, inclusion, dialogue, and local feedback.

Building carefully, with partners

Rural Smiles Foundation established its Burundi presence last year and is now focused on relationship-building, community listening, partner mapping, and careful programme design. Our immediate priority is to understand local needs, identify trusted community structures, and co-create practical interventions with partners before scaling implementation.

This honest, gradual approach protects community trust and allows Rural Smiles Foundation to grow in Burundi in a way that is locally grounded, aligned with national priorities, and responsive to real needs.

Partner with Rural Smiles Foundation in Burundi

We welcome partnerships with government institutions, development partners, foundations, civil society organisations, schools, health facilities, private sector actors, and community groups working to advance inclusive rural development in Burundi.