Background about Batwa in Burundi • One of three ethnic groups (hutus, tutsis, twa) • Estimated to be 1% of

population • Originally were nomadic

forest people known as ‘pygmies’. But with deforestation they have been resettled into communities but do not adapt well to agrarian life.

• Highly stigmatized, considered by other groups to be dirty, uneducatable, subhuman

Background about Hope School Founders: Innocent Mahwikwizi, Beatrice Munezero MIssion • Help Batwa integrate into the

dominant culture through education (mainstream education for the country so they can go on to higher ed in Burundi)

• Give Batwa pride in their identity (cultural education)

• Participant driven initiative with student committee input, Parent committee input, Teacher committee input, Batwa elder committee input

Innocent and Beatrice are Batwa themselves, raised as orphans in a different ethnic group but identify strongly with the plight of Batwa in Burundi.

Approaches and Rationale 1) MCC supports core costs

(teacher salaries) and evaluates outcomes (no short-term exit strategy)

2) Other donors (Christian Aid and FFHIA) support other projects classroom constuction, (and library)

3) Students use Burundian public school curriculum-- to be mainstreamed into second level of secondary school (11th grade)

4) Education includes a cultural component learning about Twa culture, music, dance, history

1. Sustainability - Education does not go away even after the live of the project.

2. MCC’s long-term commitment to the school allows other donors to fund one-off projects that are easier to draw constituent interest (complementarity)

3. Integration into dominant culture is the desired outcome

4. Mainstreaming but retaining pride in their identity

• Reality---Quality of education in Burundian system is poor, curriculum over ambitious—4 languages by ninth grade (for example)

• Practice---Teachers are gatekeepers---rote learning--failure is an objective—only let the brightest continue,--

• Build capacity of teachers during summer modules to develop child-centered learning

• Results based evaluations of project based on student success on national exams!

Obstacles to Success (donor identified)

1) Child centered education requires inputs: books, supplies, teaching materials Response: Advocacy for private donation which resulted in: • Shipment of 6000 books and hundreds of teaching

materials, posters, art supplies, etc. • Construction of library by another donor FFHIA. 2) No Access to clean water and decent latrines Response: Installation of rainwater collection tanks and improved latrines

Obstacles to Success (teacher/ administration identified)

• Absences due to illness • Poor eyesight of many students • Poor retention of girls beyond grade six (parental

disapproval, seduction by local boys) Response: • Arrangements made with local clinic to accept students

for treatment on credit (paid by donor) • Sponsored visit to Bujumbura with a busload of

students to receive eye exam and glasses • Advocacy with parents of individual girls by partner,

incentives: soap, sanitary napkins, new underwear

Obstacles to Success (student identified)

• Hunger • Lack of light to study in evening after chores Response • School feeding are known to raise test scores but

recognition of food security as a community problem made this intervention seem unwise as it was not likely to increase consumption of food by students. Decision to focus a different program on improving food security in the community.

• Lack of light– solar powered lights installed in one classroom and the library and evening study sessions arranged for students with support by academic prefect.

Obstacles to Success (parent identified)

Anxiety about children going on to secondary school away from the community Response: • Long-term goal of

building a second level secondary school (education degree) to the community. (Began last year)

OUTCOMES • Teachers are pedagogically oriented toward student success (shared

vision) • School is equipped to provide student-centered education • Students are empowered to see their capacity and responsibility in

succeeding • Parents and Batwa elders are advocates and supporters of the

school • The Nyangungu community has come to see the Batwa as social

equals and are pleased to send their non-Twa children to Hope School.

• Since 2012, more than 50% of students in 10th grade pass national exam

• In 2014, for the first time, 2 Twa girls from the school succeeded in 10th grade and passed the national exam!!

Lessons Learned

• Objectives and indicators ofproject success need to be contextually defined.

• Long-term commitment (> 20 years) with small inputs is effective and creates a platform for short-term interventions as well. (Small FBOs can this niche)

• Participants/stakeholders (teachers, parents, community leaders, students) can identify and help solve their own problems and insure success of the project.

End