Municipal development and environmental protection

Self-sufficiency through agriculture and livestock farming is the main source of income in the rural areas of Burundi. The input of resources is low.

There is hardly any processing of agricultural products because the necessary knowledge and often structures are lacking. Due to degradation and population growth, arable land is also scarce.

At the same time, awareness of these issues and the pressure to act among the rural population is very high. Burundikids e.V. is committed to establishing and strengthening agricultural cooperatives. In cooperation with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Engagement Global, for example, the AMELCO (Amélioration par des Coopératives) project was launched.

BUILDING COOPERATIVES – AMELCO (Amélioration par des Coopératives)

AMELCO is based on the many years of experience of Fondation Stamm, which has been running agricultural training centres at the project locations (CERDA: Centre de rayonnement pour le développement agricole) since 2007 as a long-term measure against recurring famines in the north and north-east of Burundi, thus laying the foundations for the formation of independent production communities. AMELCO is building on these structures.

In the provinces of Ngozi and Muyinga, AMELCO focuses on increasing the financial strength of the rural population and on the profit-orientated entrepreneurial activities of the thousands of participating producers. The existing self-help organisations at the locations have laid the foundations for small farmers to take up profit-oriented, entrepreneurial activities.

The establishment of co-operative structures provides smallholders with better sales opportunities for their products and, with self-managed savings systems, the opportunity to make investments, accompanied by training in the basics of business management and advice on agricultural and livestock farming methods.

By taking the step from a ‘loose association’ to a structured and regulated cooperative, the production community registers itself at the next higher administrative level, the municipality, thereby increasing its room for manoeuvre.

The members not only acquire knowledge that enables them to act economically, but also knowledge of improved production methods for agriculture and livestock farming. Women are specifically involved in the project’s activities: at least one management position in each cooperative is held by a woman. The proportion of women in the cooperatives is over 50%.

VICOBA continues the approach of community structures initiated in the AMELCO programme by specifically applying it to young people and enabling them to start their own economic activities.
In rural areas of Burundi, it is often difficult for young people to find economic prospects. A lack of jobs, limited training opportunities and limited financial resources make it difficult to start a business. This is exactly where the VICOBA programme (Village Community Banking) comes in.

VICOBA is a community savings and credit model which, in this specific case, helps young people in two Burundian communities in the provinces of Butanyerera and Buhumuza to start their own income-generating activities as part of a project. This can be done individually or in groups, as traders, carpenters or in animal husbandry. The young people organise themselves into groups, save money together and receive loans to set up small businesses or expand existing ones. The project also plans to provide the groups with additional capital. Furthermore, there are plans to develop the groups into cooperatives, which will open up further advantages and opportunities for the young people. The project is co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).