The Building Bridges in Burundi program aimed at mitigating the root causes of conflict and instability in Burundi. AFSC Burundi
AFSC's Building Bridges in Burundi Program supported Burundian communities in rebuilding their communities after years of conflict. This program helped communities heal from the trauma of violence, support each other in building small businesses and becoming economically resilient, and facilitiated reconcilation and the rebuilding of a sense of community.
The Building Bridges in Burundi Program (BBB Dutsimbataze Amahoro in the Kirundi language) was part of AFSC’s peacebuilding work in Burundi. It was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands through its Addressing Root Causes (ARC) fund, and was implemented by four international organizations and nine local partner organizations.
Recently, the Building Bridges in Burundi Program was selected as a finalist in the global ‘World Justice Challenge.' The BBB program took place in six districts and lowered the barriers to justice and reconciliation in several ways. This was done, among other things, by strengthening informal justice and reconciliation though village elders and churches. Additionally, committees were set up and supervised to help strengthen good governance, and mediators were trained to assist in resolving conflicts that sometimes spanned generations.
The Building Bridges in Burundi program ended in December of 2021, but its impacts are long-lasting. Throughout the course of the program, over 10,00 applications for legal support in conflicts were received by the trained mediators. More than half of those cases have now been resolved. Other cases have been transferred to the formal legal system. External research shows that the confidence of the population in formal and informal forms of justice has increased in more than 90% of the cases. Also, 84% of the BBB participants indicated that violent conflict in their environment has decreased.
Out of 305 entries from 118 countries, the BBB program has qualified as one of thirty finalists in the World Justice Challenge. A leading jury of lawyers, journalists, experts and politicians will select the five winning initiatives. The competition is part of the World Justice Forum, which will take place in The Hague from May 31 to June 2.
To learn more, read the Building Bridges in Burundi Program brochure, or the AFSC press release regarding the World Justice Challenge.