Providing health care to 1000s in Bujumbura slum

 “I got married to a man, and at the beginning everything was going well. But over time, he changed. He started beating me over small mistakes. As days went by, the situation became worse. He would not even greet me when he came home, and our household was full of conflict. When I became pregnant, he showed no compassion. He continued to abuse me. One day, when I was six months pregnant, he beat me severely simply because I asked him about his behavior. I lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital. That incident deeply affected me. It was at that moment that I mourned my marriage and realized that I no longer had a husband. I returned home, but to me, he was like someone who had died. I bought everything I needed for childbirth by myself and hid it at a neighbor’s house. Until the day I gave birth, I did not tell him anything, because I felt he did not deserve to be shared that good news. This hurt him, but after a few months, he started again with his violent and strange behavior. I then decided to separate from him. Today, I live alone with my three children.

What marked me most during this workshop is that I now feel normal. Before, I felt ashamed, as if there was a voice telling me I had done wrong to leave my husband, that I should have endured everything like a “true Burundian woman.” That feeling has disappeared. Today, I accept myself as I am.”

“My husband took me to Maramvya, far from our home village. Later, he abandoned me with our four children in a rented house that I had to pay for on my own. Life became very difficult, especially when I fell ill and suffered from severe back pain that prevented me from working.

In my distress, I remarried, but this man also got me pregnant and then abandoned me. Meanwhile, my first husband’s family asked me to return and take care of the children. I went back in fear, but after only seven days, he tried to kill me. I ran away to save my life.

I now live in fear and instability, moving from one house to another with my child, depending on the mercy of others. My four other children live in different homes, and it pains me that I cannot see them freely. I am deeply traumatized, without hope or direction.

But through the trauma healing workshop, my life began to change.

I realized that I was not alone and that my pain was real but could be healed. I learned how to express my emotions and release the fear and shame I had been carrying. Little by little, I found inner peace”.

• My name is Nzele. It was a Sunday, between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. I have seven children, but today I only stayed with two. My husband was in the military. That day, I was attacked by unknown men who subjected me to severe sexual violence, and then I was left abandoned in the fields. Along with others, we decided to flee to Burundi, and today I live in Musenyi 2.
• I come from Kamanyola. One Sunday, I was at home with a 10-year-old child, while my other children were in Uvira. I grew up an orphan, and the person who raised me, my uncle, was killed in front of me. I also suffered severe sexual violence. Despite everything, I thank God that I was able to flee to Burundi. This healing process will take time, but this workshop is a good start for me. I sincerely thank the organizations that are supporting us. 
• I come from Uvira. The situation there was already unstable, with frequent kidnappings. One day, armed men came and took my husband and me into the mountains. There, I was subjected to severe sexual violence in front of him. At one point, my husband recognized one of the attackers, and that led to his death. They shot him. I lost consciousness, and they left me there. People then helped me return home after two days. When I found my children and realized their father was dead, I lost consciousness again.

• FWA_MARCH_2026_WEBSITE_NARRATIVE_REPORT.doc (DOC)
• FWA_APRIL_2026_NARRATIVE_REPORT.doc (DOC)