With the help of local trainers, 11,880 women and men will learn to read and write, and 11,440 families will start or grow a small business - increasing their income, reducing poverty and improving health, wellbeing and resilience across their communities in Burundi.
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Beneficiaries
In Burundi, 75% of people live in extreme poverty and 90% depend on subsistence farming to survive UNDP, 2023; FAO 2025). In communities we work with, 89% of participants have never been to school. Climate change is devastating harvests and livelihoods, increasing conflict and forcing families from their homes. Soaring food prices mean many go hungry. The need for change is urgent and growing.
Over two years, 11,880 members - 70% of them women - will join 540 literacy groups to learn to read, write and count. Literacy opens doors: it gives people the confidence to claim their rights and take control of their finances. 11,440 will join 520 savings groups, develop business skills and grow their income. The results speak for themselves: 88% of women in our last programme cycle increased their household income and 96% can now afford health insurance.
