Aim to strengthen protection of women, children

(MissionNewswire) Salesian International Volunteering for Development (VIS), in collaboration with the Museke Foundation in Brescia, Italy, is taking action to aid people living at the Makombe Transit Camp in Burundi*. The camp is currently home to more than 1,700 people who fled the clashes in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in December 2025.

Approximately 1,050 children up to age 11, 300 boys and girls between the ages of 12-17, and 350 adults, mostly women, have been registered. The camp was set up in 2021 as a temporary reception facility, but it remains overcrowded due to the arrival of new refugees.

The country’s permanent camps are currently full, and many refugees remain in the transit center. Several humanitarian organizations have intervened in the camp to provide essential services, including health care, access to water and food distribution. However, in recent months, some key activities have been suspended, leaving important needs unmet for children, young people and women.

A Salesian noted, “Families now receive only one meal a day, many do not have their own tent, and there are insufficient toilets and showers. There is also a lack of educational activities and safe spaces for young children, while women and girls no longer receive menstrual kits and counseling services.”

VIS is putting a plan into place to address several issues. The activities include a daily hot meal for young children, menstrual kits for women and girls, the creation of safe spaces with recreational and educational activities for children, and education for community leaders who can raise awareness about children’s rights and the sexual and reproductive health of youth.

The Salesian said, “The aim is to strengthen the protection of children and women and to offer support to a community that, despite the difficulties, continues to demonstrate resilience and the ability to live together.”

Burundi has seen more than a decade of violence and conflict, contributing to widespread poverty according to UNICEF. Children are some of the most severely affected by the country’s rampant poverty. Fifty-three percent of children under the age of 5 suffer from growth stunting caused by inadequate food, low-quality diet, poor infant feeding practices, poor household management of childhood diseases and the general decline of the country’s health system.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Burundi – Emergency in Makombe camp: VIS and Museke Foundation intervene and launch an appeal

Salesian Missions – Burundi

UNICEF – Burundi

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.