The Trip of Youth Ambassador of Harmony, Yannick Tona, to the Republic of Burundi from 30/07/2010 to 02/08/2010

The Trip of Youth Ambassador of Harmony, Yannick Tona, to the Republic of Burundi from 30/07/2010 to 02/08/2010
Day 1
I began my trip from Kigali, Rwanda, on 30/07/2010 at 08:00 AM. After getting my passport stamped by the Office of Emigration and Immigration in Rwanda, I crossed over the border of the Republic of Burundi to reach their immigration office. I was received by kids between 6 and 14 years old, and by old women asking for money on the street. I was shocked because there where so many, and it was that immediate impression that first led me to believe Burundi is still behind and that there is lot of work to be done there. After my travelling companion and I crossed the Rwandan border, we proceeded to the Burundian immigration office in Akanyaru. While waiting in line to receive our Burundian Visas, we were reminded by a police officer that all white travelers should present their passports as they would need to pay for their Visas. These travelers complied by moving from the line and waiting off to the side. After getting my passport stamped, however, I found my companion still waiting. She informed me that there were no receipts, and that she had been instructed to pay for her Visa at the Office of Immigration in Bujumbura (the capital) instead: an otherwise unnecessary trip that would have taken more that 45 minutes. After a long wait, the police officer called me over to state that if he was to provide us with the papers necessary to pay in Bujumbura, I would need to buy him a drink (corruption). I was personally shocked by his behavior, especially considering I was with a foreigner to whom we aught to be presenting a positive image of our continent. To me, this type of behavior dishonors all Burundians who have long fought for independence and liberty and for the development of their nation. Indeed, it dishonors all Africans. After securing the paper that stated we could pay for her Visa in Bujumbura, my companion and I went back to the car. On the way to Bujumbura, I saw how the villages were still so undeveloped, and understood how both the government and the Burundian people have lot of work left to do.
Day 2
The next day was Saturday, and according to my schedule I was suppose to visit several different locations in Burundi’s capital city of Bujumbura. My visit to the capital started in the centre of town where I visited Central Market, one of the biggest markets in Bujumbura. While you can find almost anything there, one of the things I didn’t like was the way that some of the businessmen did their business outside of the market as it caused a lot of disorganization in and around the marketplace. After the market, I visited a number of local universities, including the National University of Burundi. I didn’t get the chance to learn everything about the educational system in Burundi, but considering what I saw and the people I spoke to, the public education system in Burundi seems comparatively poor. There appear to be a lot of problems with the courses offered, the experience level of teachers, and with poorly constructed classrooms. The root causes of these problems include low teacher salaries, poor management of the schools overall, and the fact that most of the universities were built during colonial times and have yet to be renovated or renewed. However we shouldn’t forget that Burundi is still recovering from a recent war, and so we must remain hopeful that the coming years will be better.
I continued my visit by seeing different government offices such as the Ministry of Education, whose building appeared very old and badly worn. I could hardly believe that there would be offices inside based on the way the building looked. I also saw the Ministry of Security, the police station, the President’s office, and the Parliament. I visited different international organizations and embassies such as the French Embassy, Rwandan Embassy, RDC Embassy, Germany Embassy, US Embassy, as well as UNDP, BNUB (the United Nation’s mission in Burundi for peace and integration), and other organizations. Through my observations across the city of Bujumbura, I found real work to be done in rebuilding the country. The main problems keeping the country in poverty include corruption which is the big problem, economic instability, poor quality education, little international investment, compromised security, healthcare and environmental concerns, improvements needed to transport and communication, and good governance. When you look closely, though, you find that Bujumbura is constructed in such a way that every street has a name, while most of the cities of Africa don’t have that.
Burundi’s political system, for example, still seems to me very weak. There is a lot of corruption, a lot of mismanagement of government money by leaders. One thing I recognized immediately is the vast number of government cars in the city: always the most expensive and often used for work which is not of the government. At the same time I recognized how in the villages the population seemed to be suffering. I found that the political parties in Burundi are extremely active which is good because shows how to country is making a step to Democracy. Most Burundians belong to a set political party, and along the border where I entered there were party flag flying everywhere. Burundi is coming off of a civil war, and one big step Burundian people have achieved as a nation was stopping that war and beginning to rebuild the country. Burundi achieved another big step by organizing elections in the wake of the war to vote in their only leaders.
An other problem is Burundian are not so hard working most of them they spend hours upon hours drinking. Most of the afternoon, you will find that Burundian bars are fully packed with people. Burundi has many fine tourist attractions like Lake Tanganyika, Borabora and Saga Beach, make Bujumbura to look beautiful? Burundian People show a good hospitality to foreigners also.

Day 3
On Sunday afternoon I visited with the Executive Director of CHABHA, David Loewenguth. (CHABHA, Children Affected By HIV/AIDS, is an American charity helping children affected by HIV in Rwanda and Burundi) That afternoon was a challenge to me, as I accompanied David to a community wherein I could see for myself how children affected by HIV actually live. David introduced me to two of the leaders for the Mubafashe Association, Francine and Annick. Together we went to where members of the association were gathered alongside children anywhere between 1 and 22 years old, their parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Arriving there, we were given a warm welcome by children running to come hug David. In what little time I spent there I was touched by how David, his charity, and the Mubafashe Association made such a big impact on the lives of those children. To see the children dancing and playing football, you would never believe they were affected by HIV, and you can immediately see the amazing work done by both CHABHA and the Mubafashe Association. I spent hours observing those children as they played with each other, and I recognized how one small action can change a life of some one. At the end of my visit, I had the chance to talk to the leaders of the Mubafashe Association. I was unable to understand how, in a country ravaged by war and corruption, 5 girls chose to make a difference by starting the Mubafashe Association. They chose, in whatever small capacity they could, to make better life for others. When I was talking to Francine, the President and Founder of the association, she explained to me a lot about what I was seeing, but first of all she explained to me the kinds of support they give to their beneficiaries. They pay for school fees, for school materials like uniforms and notebooks, for medical treatment, and for food because most of the parents there are so sick they cannot work or else the children there are orphans.
Overall I find the most problematic aspects of Burundi to be the high poverty rate, joblessness (especially amongst youth), security which is not totally stable but better than in days past, poor education, poor healthcare, and poor infrastructure. The Government is trying in different ways to establish stable security; after a long period at war, all rebel groups agreed to sign the peace accord and to share power within the government, police force, military and to transform their groups to political parties. As far as I am concerned, this system represents one of the best decisions the Burundian government ever made. There are other things the government is endeavoring to do, even if it they are doing so slowly. Health insurance, while not necessarily working properly, is there. Public primary school education is allegedly free, but this system also functions poorly. Schools solicit money from students, calling it a contribution towards buying desks or building gates, but in the end it would be cheaper to pay school fees instead doing that contribution to buy those things the School is saying. Concerning health, after the war most of the hospitals were destroyed. Doctors are extremely low-paid compared to neighboring countries, causing insufficient numbers of doctors in Burundian hospitals. Corruption amidst government institutions is another big issue, especially within Burundi’s Revenue Authority which is in charge of collecting taxes and the police, which causes a lot of injustice and keeps the country undeveloped. Burundi is one of the 3 Last Countries in the World to have a low GDP on the capital.
Overall there is much work to be done in Burundi. People there have been living with corruption, injustice, joblessness, poverty and other strife for so long that it has become normal and that is how life is. I remember talking to one of my Burundian friend, encouraging him to do something, to try to make a difference within his country, but he told me that no one can. Burundians, especially the youth, are the ones who must seek solutions to the problems that their country is facing. Burundians are the ones who can make their country a better place for everyone to live. No one will magically change their country for them; it requires sacrifice to make things change. Today Burundi is an independent country thanks to the efforts of men like Prince Louis Rwagasore, who fought for the independence of his nation even when unsupported by his family and the colonizers. What Burundi needs now is men and women who are ready to dedicate their time, money, even their lives to change things in their homeland. I concluded my trip to Burundi on Monday, having learned a lot of things. I wish all the best to Burundi and encourage all Burundians, be they government, opposition, youth, the religious or private sector, individual and every one to work together to build their country, so that one day Burundi will become the major travel destination it deserves to be and the GDP will be on the high level.
Future Plan
I plan to begin working with Burundian youth, encouraging them to become involved in decision making within their communities. As a first step I am intending to organize a conference wherein all Burundian youth will come together to discuss different issues concerning their country, including unemployment, poverty, education, and healthcare. Together we will strive to find solutions which the youth will bring back to their communities and subsequently push their government to implement change. I also intend to continue researching Burundi in the coming years, in an effort to identify ongoing problems and to encourage national and international organizations to help. Yes there is plenty the government can do, but ultimately their capacity is limited. They need our help.