A small support can mean a lot for a vulnerable child
Nitanga is an eight-year-old sponsored girl, studying in first grade and living in Bugenyuzi commune, Burundi. She comes from a family of farmers in an area where World Vision is working with families to set in place lasting development through a range of programmes.
Tsang Sandy, a sponsor from Hong Kong, recently visited her family, and at the end of her visit she realises that a small support can mean a lot for a vulnerable child.
Nitanga is a small girl with big eyes; she takes long to answer to questions put to her. While pondering about her answers, she rolls the eyes up and down. Her dream is to become a teacher when she finishes her schooling.
A struggle for schooling
Her dream may not be accomplished if there is no external support. Her family of farmers does not have enough land to get all what she would need to accomplish it, according to Jean Marie Nkurunziza, Nitanga’s father.
“My father gave birth to 10 children. When we shared the land he had, each one got less than a hectare; it is hard to get what to live on from it,” Jean Marie explains.
In 2007, the government of Burundi decided to make primary education mandatory for all. The response was positive and overwhelming. Enrollment in first grade went up 130 per cent. But even though children want to go to school, in many areas like Bugenyuzi, where Nitanga lives, lack of basic needs forces children to drop out of school. Lack of uniforms and other school materials can prevent them to continue their schooling.
At Nitanga’s age, children do sometimes not take care of their school materials; they often lose copybooks and pens. Some parents decide to let them go without those materials or withdraw them from school, says Francine Nzohabonimana, Nitanga’s mother.
A visit from Nitanga’s sponor
Jean Marie and Francine shared their story while they were receiving Sandy, Nitanga’s sponsor from Hong Kong, when she came to visit her sponsored child. The donor is supporting the child’s family to take care of her. Sandy sends things they need to send Nitanga to school, the parents confided.
“All needy kids here have one thing in common; they lack basic things to enjoy good life: food, health facilities, water and many other things,” Sandy explains.
“Education is the key to overcome all these issues. Good life starts by an education of quality,” she adds.
Sandy was impressed by the fact that her gifts are of a big importance to Nitanga, though they are not very consistent, she said. Visiting the famly gave her a clear understanding of the situation of children in that area. She is encouraged to continue to supporting Nitanga, because every support is useful.
“After this visit, I realise that things you can consider to be small can mean a lot. Kids can be here prevented from going to school by the lack of clothes or school materials,” she says.
“A small support can indeed change a life of a vulnerable family,” Jean Marie nodded and explained.
Growing Stronger
Jean Marie’s family has an improved livelihood because of a cash-for-work programme provided by World Vision. When World Vision started a nursery of improved banana trees, Jean Marie got a job of watering those banana seedlings.
“I earned little per day, 1500 Burundian Francs, [about 0.8 US dollars] but I was able to buy this pig. Since then manure is no longer a problem, our livelihood has improved a lot. Look at this pumpkin, it because of that organic manure,” Jean Marie says, pointing to his garden.
Francine, his wife, developed a kitchen garden in their courtyard after a World Vision training.
“This is a World Vision tip, to broaden our cultivable lands. With it we harvest enough food on a small portion of lands,” Francine says. “If you knew for how long we have been harvesting amaranths on this garden? We are able to feed our children with nutritious food.”
The organic manure that family gets from their pig enables them to harvest enough. Banana trees, corn, amaranths and beans is the food harvested in a satisfactory way on their small land. Jean Marie wonders what Nitanga’s situation would have been without World Vision’s support.
“We still have enough to feed our three children, with the support of these people to whom God gave a large heart, we feel comfortable to rear our children,” says Jean Marie.
Furahisha Nzisabira, Rugazi ADP Manager, says that the sponsorship programme has changed lives of many vulnerable kids in the area. Besides those direct supports, there are also shared benefits of sponsorship.
Donors’ funding enables World Vision Burundi to help needy children to get access to clean drinking water, sanitation, education, skills for future livelihood, nutrition and healthcare.