In Burundi, our partner UCCD is seeing stunning transformation in young lives. Through The Mailbox Club, a Bible-based correspondence programme, children and young people across the country are receiving structured, engaging lessons that many of their Sunday schools simply never had before. Teachers are being equipped, volunteers are being resourced, and children are encountering Jesus.

The results speak for themselves. Fifteen-year-old Niokwizigi stopped fighting at school. Alfonsine, aged 14, opened her Bible to Galatians 2:20 and found a verse that reordered her entire life.

Watch the video above and hear their stories in their own words. This is what your prayers and partnership make possible.

The post One Child at a Time appeared first on Great Lakes Outreach.

Things kept getting harder. Eventually, she had no choice but to move into an even smaller house in the slum of Buterere, on the outskirts of Bujumbura. To make ends meet, she scavenged for plastic at the dumpsite, with her baby strapped to her back,

“This is one of the most dangerous jobs to do. Sometimes we get infections from all the rubbish. There are times when there are sharp and dangerous objects we step on or grab.”

On the most difficult days, she would take her oldest son, only eight years old, to help her collect more plastic. It was not the life she wanted for him, but the need to survive left little room for choice.

Emelyne had heard about microloan groups before. She wished to join one, but she never succeeded because she had nothing to contribute.

“I could barely survive each day. Knowing that I even had to contribute 1,000 FBu (25 pence / 35 cents) would have been a stretch.”

Everything changed when she attended a small-business training program conducted by Greenland Alliance. The training focused on saving money, growing small capital, and understanding how savings and loans groups work. For the first time, the idea of joining a group did not feel impossible.

After joining the Bihunduke Self Help Group, her life began to turn around. She started small. With her savings, she bought one goat. That goat has now given birth to four more. Her vegetable business has grown. She no longer scavenges at the dumpsite.

These savings and loan groups have changed the lives of thousands of families. With an increase in capital of just 100,000 FBu, just £25 / $30 each, Emelyne’s group of ten members have been able to grow their businesses and strengthen their families.

Today, Emelyne is dreaming bigger. She hopes to reach 1,000,000 FBu, around £300. She plans to sell her goats and buy land. On that land, she hopes to build a small house for her children. 

“I thank God for the steps I have already taken. I pray to reach even further.”

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From birth, Francis* life was plagued by adversity. As the 11th child, by the age of 5, she had already lost 6 of her siblings. Due to extreme poverty, her parents didn’t expect her to live past five.

As a young child, she loved playing with her friends and going to school, but she was forced to drop out and work as a housekeeper.

But life continued to deliver more blows. At the tender age of 15, Francis had to leave Nyanza Lac and search for work across the border in Tanzania. She thought she would be working as a nanny, but soon after arrival, her employer started sexually trafficking her. During the day, she would nanny, and at night, he would take her and force her sleep with strange men in exchange for money. 

She couldn’t bear it anymore, so she decided to run away. But that life had deeply affected her; it caused depression and a mental breakdown that led her to live on the streets of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania for 3 years.

She thought her fortunes had turned for the better when she met and married a man who seemed to be kind. Sadly, after the wedding, he and his family became physically abusive towards her.

Francis couldn’t take it anymore, so she decided to leave and return to Burundi to her parents, pregnant with twins. After giving birth, she had no choice but to rely on God to care for this new family.

Just a few months after her return, she heard about Together for Development Birashoboka (TfDB), which trains people at risk in sewing. With nothing to lose, she approached Ephraim, the leader of TfDB. “I saw so much destitution,” Ephraim shares. “At just 22 years old, Francis had lived a miserable life. I knew I had to first treat her psychological wounds.”

Francis went through trauma healing sessions with several other women before joining a sewing class. But without any income to support her twins, she found herself returning to survival sex. When Ephraim learned of her situation, he didn’t judge her. Instead, he helped her with a loan and a sewing machine.

Francis and her former classmates run a tailor shop, and she also contributes as a teacher to new students in the programme. Her work with other women at Together for Development has completely changed her life. She now earns a steady income and can support women who have had similar experiences, as well as others who have faced difficult moments.

Thanks to TfDB, Francis and her children live in a good home, after TfDB built her a decent home.

Her greatest desire is to raise her twins in a loving and stable environment, which she never had a chance to experience.

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For Mayoya, a 39-year-old mother of two, that £4 was a matter of life and death. Mayoya knows what it means to feel forgotten. After her husband left her to marry another woman, she was chased from her home with her children. With nowhere to go, she survived by working in other people’s fields, earning barely enough to buy food for the day.

Her children were often sick with malaria and high fevers. Without insurance, there was no clinic visit or medication to buy. She would sit beside them at night and pray, hoping their small bodies would recover.

Then one day, she fell sick herself. Malaria struck hard. Her leg, already injured from long hours of labour, gave way. That same week, she received a health card from Restoration Burundi.

“Receiving this card just in time saved my life,” she said. Mayoya was taken to a nearby clinic, treated properly, and today she has fully recovered. She is back on her feet. 

For Godelieve*, 70 years old, that £4 stood between her and hope.

She was not the only one, Godelieve, 70, has become weaker as her body has grown older. Malaria and the constant recurrence of tuberculosis had become part of her reality. Whenever she fell sick, she had no choice but to stay at home and wait for her strength to return, since she had no money to visit a clinic

Godelieve was thrilled to receive her very first health insurance card.

“Thank you for thinking of me,” she expressed. “I had lost all hope that I would ever get this card. Receiving this card just proved that I matter, whereas I thought I didn’t matter to anyone.”

Over the past year, through GLO’s partners, including Restoration Burundi, Greenland Alliance, and others,  more than 2,800 vulnerable people have received health insurance cards. Recently, a further 390 cards were distributed specifically to mothers, the elderly, and families who could not afford them.

The post The Card That Saved Mayoya’s Life appeared first on Great Lakes Outreach.

In this video, you’ll find out about Jimmy’s background and how his journey grew with GLO to where, now, he is one of the leaders who has international influence for the Kingdom.

Community Rise has an excellent Website, you can check it out through the link below:

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The amazing geography aside, every day on this breathtaking ride will introduce you to GLO Partners, who are working tirelessly to make a difference in Burundi. You will meet many of our Inspirational Leaders who will show you the reality of the situation that you are encountering in the flesh.

While you will really need to enjoy riding a bike to make this worthwhile, you don’t have to be a ‘pro’.  One of the best parts of this experience is the camaraderie that the group quickly find as they support each other along the journey.  This goes way deeper than just a few kind words; it connects in a way that only those who have shared in the experience can express. 

The evenings are an opportunity to unwind, refresh and debrief on the experiences of the day. No day is the same, but every day will give you a memory that will never leave you! So whether it is the views you have seen together across the Burundian mountains or the God moments as you have shared and prayed with people in one of the Partner projects… even on the plane going home, reflecting on the exhilaration of achieving so much together in the past week.

Whatever the moment, when you put them together, there is genuinely no other experience like it in the world! 

And of course, a challenge like this needs to be sponsored. Get all the people you know engaged, and you will really feel they are on the journey – willing you on to succeed!

To join this incredible adventure, you will need to have access to a reliable road bike, be reasonably healthy and have a desire to face a challenge.

The full details are available HERE, but to summarise:

• You will have 7 days on the road, averaging about 100km/day 
• The stunning mountains will mean approximately 38,000ft of climbing in the process
• There will be many moments of fun, sweat, & tears together
• All in aid of GLO’s life-saving work in Burundi
• You will have a ground of friends and memories that you will never forget!

Click here to download the brochure.

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Before he even turned two, malnutrition and lack of proper care caused little Charmant to fall sick. What began as a minor illness gradually worsened, and soon his legs started to deform. As medical bills increased and responsibilities piled up, Charmant’s condition continued to deteriorate.

With limited means and many mouths to feed, his mother was forced to make an impossible choice: to focus on keeping the rest of the family alive while putting Charmant’s health aside.

By the time she managed to gather some money, the damage had already been done. Charmant’s tibia bones were completely deformed, leaving him unable to walk.

“I took him for a consultation at the orthopaedic clinic. With the little I had, I couldn’t afford the urgent surgery he needed. As a mother, I felt helpless and lost,” she recalls.

Urgent help was needed for little Charmant.

As a last resort, his mother was referred to the Community Rise offices. At the time, Community Rise was running a programme focused on inclusion for people with disabilities, mainly through empowerment and training classes. Medical intervention was not initially part of their work.

However, when Jimmy, the leader of Community Rise, saw Charmant, he was deeply moved. His heart sank, and he knew he could not look away. Although the cost of corrective surgery was high, the organisation mobilised support and raised enough funds to give Charmant a chance at healing.

Today, two months after the surgery, Charmant is recovering. His legs are still supported by posture correctors, but hope and joy have returned. He cannot wait for the day he will run and play like other children.

“It brings me joy to see this little boy have a chance at life. This is what encourages me to keep doing what I do,” says Jimmy.

Born with a hand deformity himself, Jimmy understands exclusion all too well. His vow is clear: to bring hope to the hopeless, especially those most often forgotten by society. And for Charmant, that hope has already begun to take root.

To find out more about Jimmy and Community Rise, click the link below:

The post A Chance to Run appeared first on Great Lakes Outreach.

The inspiration for these events began through Willow Creek Church in the US, but the way that Isaiah Nshimirimana and his team have developed the gatherings has created a uniquely Burundian focus that informs and encourages leaders from local settings through to the top of the national government. The opportunity to teach and encourage people in these influential positions is extremely significant.

The summit in 2025 was held in 3 key cities in the country – Butanyerea, Bujumbura and Gitega –  to ensure that all leaders would be able to travel and engage with these essential teachings.

The delegates heard from what could be described as a who’s who of world inspirational communicators, including Graig Groeschel and John C. Maxwell.  These, alongside our own GLO inspirational leaders, Rev Onesphore Manirakiza (Antioch Foundation) and Dr Michel Nsabiyumva (CAPAMI), to name but a few.

The principal purpose of The Global Leadership Summit 2025 was to prepare leaders across Burundi to think boldly, serve faithfully, and influence their communities in a Christlike way.

GLS has become a vital tool for cultivating a healthy leadership mindset throughout the nation, equipping the delegates to lead with integrity, courage and vision, all informed by a Christ-centred heart

We’re excited for the transformation that GLS 2025 has sparked across Burundi, and we ask you to support them in your prayers as they seek to put all they have learnt into practice in 2026.

These qualities truly matter!  When people think biblically about leadership, families strengthen, churches thrive, and communities become places of hope. So, as leaders grow like this, the nation changes around them!

The post Nationwide GLS Impact appeared first on Great Lakes Outreach.

During a recent outreach, one of GLO’s inspirational leaders, Charles Nkazamyampi (founder of FCN), gathered students near their school for a time of joyful encouragement and physical exercise, something he is known and loved for. Why? He is Burundi’s only international medalist, winning Silver for the 800 metres in the 1993 Athletics World Indoor Championships and also representing Burundi in the 1996 Olympic Games.

Even though decades have passed, Charles’ fame remains in the Burundian history books that is taught in schools, so when he comes to a school, people listen.

Charles is also a passionate lover of Jesus and isn’t shy about preaching the Good News and on this particular day, the Lord moved him to go deeper. He shared a heartfelt message, calling these young students to consider Jesus, inviting them to step into a new life of faith and purpose.

And then came a beautiful moment you can see in the picture, when around 250 students responded and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

What a sight! The whole crowd of young people, hands raised, hearts open, declaring their desire to follow Christ. It was a day filled with joy, hope, and the unmistakable presence of God. We give Him all the glory!

Please join us in praying for every one of these young believers:

• That they would grow in faith and courage.
• That they would be discipled well.
• That they would shine brightly for Jesus in their families, schools, and communities.

God is writing new stories in Burundi, and He is using this generation in powerful ways across the globe. We long to see more!

The post 250 Receive Jesus as Lord! appeared first on Great Lakes Outreach.

Years later, when Simon Guillebaud came to speak at her church about the work of Great Lakes Outreach, Anne felt a deep sense of connection. Having travelled widely and been involved in short-term mission, she was drawn to the distinctive ethos of GLO: Burundian Christians serving their own people. Rather than relying on external missionaries coming in, the work is led by local leaders who understand their communities, their culture and the challenges they face. For Anne, that not only felt right, but also grounded in biblical principles.

She began following GLO’s ministry closely, reading Simon’s daily devotional Choose Life and joining the Zoom prayer meetings during the Covid lockdowns. What inspired her most was the breadth and depth of the ministry. It covered so much – from helping street children and vulnerable women, to trauma care, farming, sport, and engagement with police, military and political leaders – all rooted in a foundation of prayer and the gospel message.

Early in 2023, Anne felt God stir her heart to go to Burundi herself. With encouragement from friends and the generous provision of God, she made the leap of faith to travel there. What she encountered exceeded all expectations: days filled with powerful meetings, project visits and conversations with remarkable leaders whose faith, integrity and perseverance humbled her deeply. She observed that many of these inspirational leaders had suffered greatly through years of conflict, yet had chosen to return and serve their own people with courage and hope.

One moment in particular captured the heart of GLO for Anne: an evangelistic rally, attended by thousands, where church leaders from different denominations worked together. Worship was vibrant and joyful, teaching was deeply biblical, and hundreds responded to the gospel! The key to the blessing was that every person was prayed for and carefully connected with a local church, ensuring they were welcomed into a spiritual family, not just counted as another statistic.

Anne returned home convinced that Great Lakes Outreach truly “does what it says on the tin”. It is a community of faith, prayer and action, truly reaching Burundi with the love of Christ. 

Today, she continues to pray, support and encourage the work, grateful to be part of a movement that is changing lives and bringing hope across Burundi.

Anne, we are so thankful to have supporters like you!

If you would like to join a GLO Supporter trip, click on the link below:

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