Born in the lakeside town of Kigwena in southern Burundi, John Irakoze, affectionately known as Murungwa, grew up surrounded by the beauty of Lake Tanganyika. His early years were shaped by the freedom of rural life – days spent swimming with his brother Eric, making banana trunk rafts, and returning home as the sun dipped behind the Congo mountains. These were days filled with laughter, innocence, and a simple joy that would later serve as an anchor through great loss and change.
A Leader Rooted in Grace and Growing in Purpose
At the age of nine, John’s childhood took a painful turn when his mother became gravely ill. She travelled to Bujumbura seeking treatment, taking John and his baby brother with her. Tragically, both his mother and baby brother passed away, leaving John alone in the city. For a short time, he remained at Jabe Hospital, grieving and unsure of what the future held.
It was there that two people, Jacques and Annelie, connected with Eglise Vivante and a children’s home in Kinindo, stepped in. Annelie came to collect John along with two other children. “I didn’t trust them at first,” John remembers, recalling childhood fears of Muzungus (white people), fuelled by wild stories of them eating children! “But seeing the other kids smiling and unharmed, along with holding her hand, allowed me to feel a glimmer of safety.” That moment marked the start of a new life at the CRIB orphanage.
Adjusting to life at CRIB was like entering another world. The structured environment, unfamiliar food, pyjamas at bedtime, and the English language were all new and strange. At age ten, John began formal schooling for the first time at King’s School. He gave his life to Christ during a morning assembly and joined Miss Donna Bloomfield’s class, where his curious nature flourished. “She would tell us these amazing things about animals and science – I kept asking questions because it all seemed unbelievable,” he recalls.
A Defining Friendship and Leap of Faith
Years later, after finishing A-levels in Uganda, John reached out to Donna Bloomfield on Facebook and shared how he had once hoped she might adopt him. Donna responded, and in 2010, their paths reconnected when she visited Burundi. That same year, John took a leap of faith, giving up a university place in Uganda to spend a gap year with Gateway Church in Swindon, UK. It was a moment of surrender. “I had to choose between two good paths. One known, one uncertain – but I felt God asking me to trust Him.”
During his year in the UK, John’s relationship with Jesus deepened significantly. He experienced what it meant to live a life of grace – marked by love, acceptance, and service. It was also during this time that God gave John the gift of a new sense of family. His bond with Donna grew, and they formed a type of mother-son relationship that brought real healing to wounds left from his earlier losses.
Although John once aspired to be an aeronautical engineer or pilot, and even began studying computer engineering in Uganda, his plans shifted after Burundi’s 2015 political crisis. He temporarily returned to the UK and later visited South Africa. One morning, as he prepared a sermon, he cried out to God for direction. In that quiet moment, he sensed a clear calling: “Part of the solution for Africa is primary production with international markets.”
Though he had no background in agriculture, this word stirred something in him. He soon discovered that Donna and a colleague, Evariste, had launched a commercial stevia farming project called Healing Leaves in Rwanda. Seeing this as confirmation, John requested an internship, and it became a turning point.
Embracing Agriculture as Mission
Working on the 200-hectare Healing Leaves farm, John began learning hands-on agricultural skills. He was soon managing a 12-hectare plot and leading 120 workers. It was physically demanding, but deeply fulfilling. His training in science helped him adjust, but it was his teachable spirit and strong work ethic that set him apart. John and Donna would often return to Burundi during this time, visiting refugee camps and supporting rural initiatives like Milk for Transformation in Ryarusera.
In 2017, God clearly confirmed it was time to return to Burundi full-time. That same year, Foundations for Farming (FfF) came to Carama through visiting trainers from the UK. When early FfF crops were threatened by armyworms, a problem plaguing African farmers, they turned to prayer. A friend from the UK, unaware of their situation, sent a timely Bible verse: Malachi 3:11-12. “I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.” Encouraged, the team planted in faith, and God provided an abundant harvest, ten times the national average. It was a miracle that reinforced their belief in farming God’s way.
John travelled to Zimbabwe in March 2018 to receive official training in Foundations for Farming, where he was profoundly impacted by the humility and Christ-centred focus of the team. He returned to Burundi with fresh vision and was soon invited by Craig Deall, the international leader of FfF, to become Burundi’s National Coordinator.
Leading Transformation through Foundations for Farming.
Today, John leads a team committed to ending hunger and restoring dignity across Burundi through Foundations for Farming, as a biblically rooted initiative that combines sustainable conservation agriculture with discipleship. Still supported in part by City Gate Church, the programme uses the Pfumvudza model, which enables small plots of land to produce enough food to feed a family of six for a year.
John’s team are training both farmers and future trainers across the country. The vision is national transformation – empowering rural families, restoring identity, and building Christ-centred communities. “FfF is not just about farming,” John explains. “It’s about faithfulness, stewardship, and hope. When people learn that God cares about every part of their lives, including their soil and seeds, transformation begins.”
In the communities they serve, over 180 people have already given their lives to Christ through FfF. Testimonies abound, not just of improved food security, but of hearts renewed and communities changed. John dreams of seeing FfF adopted nationally in Burundi, just as it has been in Zimbabwe and other nations. He also hopes to establish training centres that can welcome learners from around the world.
A Life of Purpose and Love
What defines John’s story is not just resilience or opportunity, but a deep sense of calling. “Burundi has always been on my heart,” he says. “It’s where I’m called to be.” His measure of success is not personal wealth or recognition, but the number of lives lifted out of poverty, the families restored, and the people who discover Jesus through practical love.
From a barefoot boy by the lake to a national leader in conservation agriculture, a loving father and a devoted husband to his lovely wife, Guide, John lives what he sows: faith, hope, and a future rooted in love.
