Evon's Hope African Childrens Charity
News History
Life for young people in Burundi can be very challenging. Here are two stories describing the hardships that some are enduring:
The following stories were submitted in 2022.
Elavie’s Story
Out of the 2,000 children Evon’s Hope serves one family has stood out, Elavie and her three siblings. Elavie is 17 years old girl who has been living in Gatumba for six months with her siblings. Before she was in Gatumba Elavie lived with her parents and siblings in Bubanza, an hour drive away. Six months ago, her life was uprooted. After her parents had a fight, her father left them to go to Gatumba. Once her father settled, he called Elavie to join him. Her mother was scared for the lives of Elavie’s seven siblings so she had Elavie take three in hopes that they wouldn’t starve to death.
Once Elavie arrived in Gatumba she received news that she didn’t expect. Her father had remarried and is expecting a child. Their father has refused his children to stay with him. Instead, a deal was made for the four of them to share a house with the landlord’s son. They don’t see much of their father. The times he comes to the house though are filled with hurtful words toward his children. Elavie is reliant on her father to provide money so she can go to the market. Unfortunately, it is not a rare occurrence for him to not provide for them.
On average, Elavie and her siblings go to bed hungry three times a week. Not only has food and shelter been difficult for these children but medical care as well has been lacking. Since arriving, they all have contracted malaria. When asking for help from their father, Elavie is told to speak to her mother. However, shortly after leaving, her mother was in an accident resulting in her legs being broken. So, she is out of work and struggling to provide for their four other children. Uncertainty is a big part of Elavie’s life.
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Darlene’s Story
Five years ago, Darlene moved to Gatumba from a village upcountry. She came to live with her auntie but shortly after arriving she meet a man. He had left his wife and four children; assuring Darlene that he wasn’t going back to them. They lived together for 16 months. In that time, they had a daughter, Nina. During their relationship Nina's father was very abusive. Once Nina was 4 months old, he kicked them out, returning to his previous family. Darlene then moved to the village on the outskirts of Gatumba. Darlene and Nina lived there in a tent provided by UNICEF. These tents are created by obtaining sticks and putting them in an upside-down u and placing a tarp over them. This past December, they were able to move into a small hut. The owners of the house knew Darlene and Nina and gave them the place to stay.
Darlene is a hard-working mother doing her best to provide for her daughter. Darlene’s main income comes from selling avocados. She goes and gets around 24 avocados for 8,000 BIF (Burundian Francs): selling them along the lake to the fisherman eating their lunch. She can normally make a profit of 1,000 to 2,000 BIF. Of course, her profit changes depending on the quality of the avocados. When avocados aren’t in season Darlene looks for work elsewhere from farming to helping at construction sites. Darlene says, “Life is easy when you know how to work”. Thanks to Darlene’s strong heart, she is able to pay for Nina’s school fees and get a small amount of food for them.
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Recently the house she is living in has been sold. The new landlords are making plans of rebuilding. Soon Darlene and Nina will have to move once again. They don’t know where they are going to go. Darlene’s hope is to find another house to stay in and that her business would grow. She wants to increase her capital so she can continue to sell and provide for her daughter.
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2023 Mana Project Update
Manna Project started in 2020. Daily serve meals to 2,300 school children, consisting of rice (as available), beans, corn, and fufu. This daily meal has changed the life of these children and schools. Previously many did not come to school because they were hungry and many when attending, could not learn because they were hungry. Today children don’t miss school; delinquency is virtually nonexistent. According to school and government officials, academic scores increased to 82% up from 12%. New text books and teacher’s manuals have been provided and Evon’s Hope provides a teacher to teach the Christian faith. A daily meal for one child costs approximately 40¢.
Manna project costs increased substantially. What previously cost $550.00 per school day to feed children, has now escalated to $1,000.00 per school day. Food inflation rate is 48.90%
The United Nations World Food Programme and Evon’s Hope are the only organizations feeding children in Burundi according to the Burundi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
52% of children under 5 years old suffer from malnutrition (World Food Programme).
Partnerships with other like minded organizations are welcomed and being sought.
418 children have come to faith in Christ; local pastors then disciple these new Christians and help them in their family settings.
Working with 20 families to increase their financial well being by providing seed money and teaching them how to buy and sell vegetables and livestock, and how to manage their money
Pastor's Conference News Release
July, 2022
Summer, 2022
Please click on the following link to see how Evon's Hope is restoring hope to those that lost it:
https://youtu.be/CGr5EVC2WwQ
January 2022
Welcome Katie Lynn - The new Evon's Hope Community Outreach Advocate in Gatumba, Burundi.
Manna Program Praise Report - December, 2020
The Manna Program Starts - Positive Results Seen. November, 2020
Summer 2020:
Mana Program
Preparations
Spring 2020: Devastating Floods in Gatumba
