At YADA we provide a tuition program for children every morning and afternoon when they aren’t at school (children in Burundi go to school in the morning or in the afternoon). Here they are given a cup of porridge, this may be the only food they get that day. Our teacher helps them with homework and to catch up to where they should be at school (the majority of their parents can not read or write). He also visits the local schools where these children attend to talk with the teachers about the child’s progress and make sure they are attending and not being sent to the dump.
Children in Burundi can not attend school until age 7, by which age they have become street savvy and their mindset is that it's better to earn money that get an education. We therefore began a Pre School which children from 4-7 can attend. This has been very successful. The pre school teacher visits the children and their families once a week.
Alongside these activities we meet with women and men in small groups to explore the Bible together. We hold regular community meetings and do various trainings based on what they ask us for, marriage courses, development teachings, health and hygiene....
Suffering and crisis is a part of every day life in this community, hardship and heartache is known by all.
At YADA our heart is to empower this community and raise them up so they can help themselves and their families.
At this time of challenge for the whole world, COVID 19 means for YADA that we have not got the usual giving from events that have been organised (because everything has been cancelled). We are still running all our programs and as food prices escalate now more than ever, these children need to be able to access us to get their daily porridge. We have given out buckets for washing hands but also want to be able to give each of the 45 families we work with soap on a weekly basis and continue to pay for their medical treatment when sick. We appreciate any contribution that can be made towards our work.
