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USAID/OTI Burundi Program Fact Sheet
January 2004 - July 2006
$13,000,000 (approximate budget)
In August 2001, after nearly a decade of civil war, 17 Hutu and Tutsi parties came together and signed the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement (APRA), ending the war and ushering in a political transition. The result of years of negotiation, APRA laid out key measures to create a durable peace in Burundi, including a ceasefire between the warring parties; an agreement to share the presidency between Hutu and Tutsi political figures; integration of the army; and an electoral timetable.
The peace process advanced considerably in November 2002, with the largest Hutu rebel group, the National Council for Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), joining the transitional government. On July 4, 2005, elections were held for the lower house of parliament, and later that month on July 29th, holders of the communal seats and the lower house chose members of the upper house. On August 19th, former rebel leader Pierre Nkurunziza of the CNDD-FDD, was elected president. Overall, the elections were regarded as free and fair, and none of the major parties emerged as spoilers.
While the overall trajectory of Burundi's transition is positive, large challenges still remain. Most immediately, the National Liberation Forces, a Hutu rebel movement, remains outside of the process and is a potential source of political instability. Decades of poor governance and a weak, corrupted justice system have left the population disenchanted and the state with limited functionality. While the successful elections are cause for optimism, creating an inclusive and accountable political culture will be a challenge for years to come. Extreme poverty, with a GDP per capita of $110, and high land pressure exacerbate the political sensitivities.
OTI Program Goals and Objectives
OTI's program goals in Burundi are to develop good governance at all levels and to encourage active and informed participation of citizens. Based on these goals, OTI's two objectives in Burundi include:
- Increasing active and informed discussions among people of diverse ethnic groups about common public issues;
- Encouraging the evolution of government institutions at all levels to be more transparent and accountable.
Program Activities
OTI is assisted in the implementation of its program objectives through its partners, PADCO, Inc; the Woodrow Wilson Center of International Scholars (WWICS); and the Burundian NGO, African Strategic Impact (ASI). Major program activities include:
- Community-Based Leadership Program (CBLP): The Community-Based Leadership Program, which ended in December 2005, provided community leaders with essential skills for mitigating conflict, promoting reconciliation, and mobilizing their communities.
- Vocational Skills Training (VST): The Vocational Skills Training program seeks to provide people -- particularly youth, internally displaced persons, ex-combatants and under-educated individuals -- with skills that allow them to explore employment opportunities outside the agricultural sector. The VST skill set includes brick-making, carpentry, sewing, wood-working, bread-making and masonry. Other soft skills include business management, numeracy, literacy, and civic education.
- Community Initiatives (CI): Small grants, or Community Initiatives, support small-scale community level projects that benefit the entire community and provide a platform for CBLP trainees to exercise their leadership skills.
- Media: OTI assists the media in providing fair and professional coverage of transitional events, as well as increasing public knowledge of, and dialogue on, transitional issues.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Karen Kaplan, Program Manager, 202-712-1478,
kkaplan@usaid.gov,
or Victoria Rames, Program Manager, 202-712-4889,
vrames@usaid.gov
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