Student’s Graduation and  Thanksgiving day in Preparation

Sixteen years are over since the foundation of Youth for Christ Burundi by Freddy Tuyizere. 
This organisation

 spent all these years witnessing God’s provision. It started from a tent as both an office and orphanage at Gitega . But now, it has a building at Bujumbura (headquarter office), three sites at Gitega, one site in Cibitoke, a site in Makamba and hopefully another one to start in Ngozi.  Yes he is the provider of everything. All those sites are made of five schools, three Homes of Hope ( orphanages) two Clinics and farming projects. For sure, your support was not money lost, it contributed a lot to make Freddy’s dream become a reality. BYFC is now busy organising a thanksgiving day to the Lord for all the miracles witnessed over the journey and a first students’ graduation of Gitega International Academy (one of its five schools) on the 17th and 18th of June 2017. Could you please join us and witness these God’s provision?

Operation Hannah Mothers

Operation Hannah is a movement of prayer women of our organisation. These women led by Marie

Josée Karewa, the Operation Hannah Mothers Coordinator were in Gitega this month to awaken the ladies of Gitega area to faith. The speaker of the day reminded to the participants that children, families and nations rely on pious mothers. There is no chance in life, she said. We must make a spiritual battle to achieve victory in everything. The devil never falls asleep and he is jealous of us. We must act accordingly, she added. The speaker has taught a lot about education of children to help prepare future generations to start with our children. Each was encouraged and determined more than ever. May the Lord bless the initiators and all those who contribute to the success of this project how commendable!

Partnership with Operation Christmas Child (OCC)

We are at work preaching the Good News to the children and youth of this nation in partnership with OCC and local churches. It’s like planting the seeds in the good soil. When you sow a grain, you wait until it grows. There is a hope that things will be better tomorrow. Let’s invest in the youth to prepare the future. For sure, we reap what we sow and preparing the future is investing in the youth. Please continue praying with us for the successful.

A New School Year in Burundi Youth for Christ Schools

August and September have been busy months for everyone here at Burundi Youth for Christ. In August, we were still busy building and recruiting new teachers for both the Future Hope Schools and Gitega International Academy (GIA). We then opened a new school year for both Gitega International  Academy and Future Hope Schools, Gitega, Cibitoke and Makamba. Registration day for GIA was August 28^th and  excitement that we saw from the parents showed their confidence in this school. Some parents are bringing back students from East Afican Countries to GIA. God is faithful! We continue to pray for peace and wisdom so as to make this school a great success.

On the other side, the Future Hope Schools opened the new school year on the 12th of September. We praise the Lord as many parents keep showing  their confidence in these schools. We can observe it through the number of students which keeps increasing each year. . We are grateful for the light that FHS is being to the community, and we are glad to see so many students being added! The Lord is guiding the teachers, students and parents.

 In the same way, we are grateful to the Lord as building the multipurpose hall is done. It  can easily host 800 persons. Even the community will benefit from the use of it either for conference or other activities. We are now praying for the equipment.  In addition, the final constructions for the kitchen are still going on. We will be done soon and we also pray for its equipment and accreditation for GIA as we prepare for the very first graduation at GIA in June of 2017. It will be followed by a big thanksgiving service on the Sunday.

     You are welcome!

 New Faces in Homes of Hope ( Orphanages) in Makamba and Cibitoke

These two months, we were blessed to have more kids in our Homes of Hope( orphanages) Cibitoke  and Makamba. We welcomed four kids in Cibitoke whereas five kids were welcomed in Makamba. We have now a total number of 89 kids , 43 in Gitega, 39 in Cibitoke and 7 kids in Makamba. We are grateful to the Lord as the kids are well settling in. We are praying for the sponsors to help these angels. Soon, they will start serving the Lord. 
What a blessing to invest in kids life!

           

Water Filter at Gitega International Academy

Water Filter is here! It’s a great excitement to have water filter in GIA. Actually, boiling water everyday for around 300 students was not an easy task. If we don’t boil, we were obliged to import “Eau sirop” from Rwanda to purify the water. It’s too far and also

demanding. Now, there is no other need. It’s just connecting the filter with the jerrycan or the tank and the purified water is there. We thank the Lord for this donation from USA. It’s a huge blessing for our schools where drinking water was a big deal.  May the Lord bless  you all who keep supporting us in a way or another.

                                                                     

GIA Summer School    

 

The students from GIA have had a chance to break up their long summer holidays with good training, the last week of June and to other more weeks since 11-22nd July, 2016. Within those three weeks, the National Office was filled with life and energy as the students were coming each day to take part. They had two different teachers covering two different subjects:

William Caswell from USA, South– Carolina, with lessons to assist finalists students on how to prepare for some international tests allowing access to English universities like SAT. The Entrepreneurship course was covered by Sandra Dennis from USA, Seattle. It’s a very needed course to raise up these godly generation of leaders with an open mind. It’s also good for the students to get out of the house and continue to learn, grow and expand their minds whilst there are no expectations and pressure of exams and grades. They  were grateful to the Lord to have an opportunity to learn those lessons. May the Lord bless fully those who made this happen (Sandra Dennis, Will Caswell and BYFC Team). We pray for more volunteers to come and serve with us.

A two weeks Holiday for HOH Kids

We keep seeing the favor of the Lord upon all our Homes of Hope children (orphanages). They are well and growing both physically and spiritually. Please pray with us as all the kids are in Summer holidays with their biological siblings when the financial situation is critical during this socio – political crisis in Burundi. Some did not have any of their relatives to welcome them . But  praise the Lord as YFC staff decided to receive them in their different homes to avoid children staying lonely in the orphanage.                                                                                                       Construction Work Building work is going on at all the Burundi Youth for Christ sites as we prepare for the new school year. This is how far we are with constructions: At Bwoga (a new site for FHS Gitega), we are busy adding more classrooms for the nursery and high school level. At Cibitoke, we are building a Headmaster’s office and a new home to house the new orphans to come soon. We praise the Lord as the building work is already done at Makamba. Talking about  GIA, we are busy with finishing works for the multipurpose room, adapting the kitchen to the standard required by the Association of Christian School International.  The building under constructions will hold boys dormitory to house the new students , multipurpose hall ... This will free up existing classroom space for the new grade 7 classes that will start at the end of August. Building work has been an on-going project at GIA; expanding each year until the school reaches Grade 12. Now that we have reached Grade 12, we will be evaluating to make sure if we have enough space to house the entire school’s worth of students. We are grateful to your support and pray that the Lord will rewards you fully! Staff Recruitment We are recruiting  new teachers for the Future Hope schools in Gitega, Cibitoke and Makamba. We had a huge response with many applicants to assess and interview to ensure we selected those with the best skills and teaching abilities for our young children. We are also busy recruiting new teachers and volunteers for Gitega International Academy and a Headmaster for Future Hope School High School. We pray for a successful recruitment so as to have faithful and skilful teachers and staff to help us build the Kingdom of the Lord.

More blessings in Cibitoke Homes of Hope (our orphanage).

Romans1:17 “The righteous shall live by faith”.

Yes, let’s trust this. It’s true. Youth for Christ Burundi is the witness. The economic situation is terrible these times but we keep enjoying the favor of the Lord.

We were blessed to welcome the First Lady, her Excellency Denise NKURUNZIZA in our Homes of Hope at Cibitoke. The kids and staff were so excited to welcome for their very first time the spouse of the President in their compound.She also offered a donation of food, kitchen utensils, soaps and shoes for kids.

What a privilege!

We are grateful to the Lord and we pray for abundant blessings to you all.

Gitega International Academy:

We are pr aying for funding so that we can complete the three-

story multipurpose building (i.e. the big

building in the center of this picture); we have to finish it before we reopen school on August 28, 2016. The third floor (red bricks) is so badly needed for chapels; big school gathering, graduations…etc. It will accommodate 700 and 800 people total. Would you please pray with us??? Thank you so much. You can visit the website: www.gitegainternationalacademy.org

We are once more grateful to the  Lord to have an international volunteer here with us, Will Caswell from USA- South Corolina. As we are about to assist GIA finalist students prepare for some international tests allowing access to English universities. He is the one helping us. We welcome any other volunteer willing to come and serve with us. May God bless you!

Worship Team at Gitega International Academy

Gitega International Academy students are spiritually growing. This is a very exciting news! Some of our students have been so touched by the chapel services and testimonies of the staff during their time in the school, that they decided to give their lives to Christ. This is cause for a great celebration! They created a worship team two years ago and now they’ve started visiting some of other worship teams in churches to exchange their experiences and share testimonies.

A big thank you to all the volunteers who have worked hard in the chapel services, even when there was no sign that their words or actions were taking root. Everything happens in God’s time.

 Affordable Healthcare

Healthcare in Burundi is very hard for the poor to access especially during this period of crisis when everything is expensive and the country classified the poorest country in the whole world. Clinics and hospitals require payment in advance of treatment, and pharmacies would not dream of letting you take medication until it was paid for in full. Shammah Health Center is cutting new ground with their affordable healthcare. Not only are their prices relatively low, but they allow people to get the treatment they desperately need, even if they don’t have enough money on their person, on the promise that they will return to pay later. In these days of crisis in the country, about 10% of the patients have not been able to pay in full especially in case of hospitalisation, and over 70% of them have already returned to clear the debt at a later date.

The gratitude of the patients is overwhelming, some crying tears of joy when they realise that they will still get treatment, despite not having the money to pay for it straight away. There have also been a few cases where patients have honestly told us that they don’t know if they will ever be able to raise the money to pay the debts, which has resulted in the work scheme programme. Patients can return to the centre when they are well and do a few days manual work in our fledging malnourishment programme to pay off their debt. During this period of crisis, the grassroots are in extreme poverty and are really in the need of assistance. Shammah’s trust in people gives them dignity, empowerment and responsibility for their own healthcare, whilst providing access to those who would otherwise be denied. Everybody wins! Let’s serve the Lord!

Building work

The constructions are going on at different youth for Christ sites.

We keep trusting God to provide funding for the new urgently needed classrooms and dorms. We are currently building 3 classrooms on the other site at Gitega, hoping to open a science and arts section at Future Hope secondary school in September . There are very few schools in that area and the local population is very eager and impatient for us to open. New classrooms and headmaster’s office are also needed and expected at Makamba and they are under construction now.

We once more trust that God will allow us to add more students by end of August at Gitega International Academy as many parents trust in our schools. Through his people, we have seen God providing miraculously the past years. Would you please join us praying for the needed funding?

Youth Camp

" Train up a child the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverb 22:6. 

Burundi Youth for Christ is at work dealing with the Vision of “ Raising up a godly        generation of  leaders to transform the society.” During this Easter Break, Youth for Christ     Burundi organized a Youth camp for teenagers of different schools in Burundi.  The youth camp took place in the compound of Gitega International Academy as students of that school were in their holidays.    

Although there is a crisis in  Burundi, BYFC believe that nothing can prevent someone to 

accomplish the will of God. Different topics were on the agenda: A Transformational Leadership, Self  Esteem, Evangelism/Discipleship, Period of teenage rebellion and Bible study.  These topics were taught by different speakers.
Thus, the main topic which was a Transformational Leadership was taught by Freddy, the National Director.  To continue with the vision of raising up a godly generation of leaders, Freddy challenged the participants by telling them that a human being has great value in the eyes of God. He clarified that when you understand that plan of the Lord, life gets a meaning.

Finally, that young generation came up to understand that when you know why you are  created, life becomes enjoyable. It’s no longer confusing. Burundi Youth for Christ decided to always organize such training for the youth once a year.  Pray with us for this plan to   become a reality.

                           
                                                                                     Livestock Farming Project 

The livestock farming project is going well. Recently, the cow got a calf, now two goats gave birth to three kids each.We are so grateful to the Lord. Although, the political situation is worse, Burundi Youth for Christ is at work. We keep seeing the hands of God upon us and to continue to enjoy his blessings. May the Lord bless you all who pray for us.

Building Work

Building work has started on the new big multipurpose hall and dormitory for males at Gitega International Academy. When complete, this will allow the small conference room to move across and free up more classroom space for the next intake of new pupils at the end of August.

Building works have also started on the new classrooms for Cibitoke Future Hope School  and a new house at Cibitoke HOH. We are currently operating at maximum capacity and this will allow us to expand the school, the Homes of Hope and take more orphans into a loving home. We have seen God providing miraculously the past years. We are already at work by faith. Would you please join us praying for the needed funding? 

GIA Basketball Tournament in Ethiopia organised by ICSA ( International Christian School of Africa)


We are grateful to the Lord and everyone who supported this activity. The trip was an exciting experience especially for the majority who were flying for the first time. Students really got many lessons from that trip. In brief, the exposure of our students to a new culture in a new community and new environment was very amazing. This could be explained by the fact of playing in a foreign country with students who are more skilled challenged the students greatly and motivated them to play even better in the future. Students also showcased their skills to their friends and learned from them too. Thus, they exchanged lessons with other students in some ways. Once more, students visibly went through mentorship. They received spiritual formation in between matches every day and this is really making impact in the life of those students. May the Lord bless abundantly everyone who contributed to make this activity happen. It was demanding but very needed and fruitful.


Fish Farm project


Fish Farm Project in Cibitoke Homes of Hope is going well. It's a project which is being successful. Kids are acquiring needed proteins from fishes. It's now time for harvest. We are thinking about expanding the project to also provide fishes for the needy surrounding community. We pray for abundant blessings to the supporters of our different projects.

SALVATION IN SCHOOL AREA

Good News! After a basketball match organized  by Burundi Youth for Christ at Gitega International Academy on Saturday 23rd of January between secondary school students of Cibitoke province and GIA students, the cibitoke teams were the winners. It's not only winning the match but, even their hearts were saved. On Sunday Morning, after sharing testimonies, experiences and news from each other and after hearing the Good News from Pastor John Howarton ( North Point Church, USA) those students decided to receive Jesus as their Saviour. On 28 basketball match players (students) from Cibitoke, 23 students received Jesus as their Saviour. May the Lord bless everybody who contributed to make this activity happen.

School Project

Two months of the second term of the school year for both Gitega International Academy (GIA) and Future Hope Schools are almost over. Although it's a period of crisis, the last school term was very successful.  Students got good results in all our schools. We praise the Lord! The Lord has blessed us this year with teachers from Uganda and Kenya and a volunteer from USA; Kristy Hampshire who heard the call from the Lord to continue serving with us at Gitega International Academy.

 We are grateful to the Lord as the crisis did not affect any of our students, teachers  or staff members. May the Lord bless abundantly you who contributed for the welfare of those schools.

Donation from World Food Program

The Lord is our Provider! He works in ways we cannot see. He makes ways where it seems to be no ways! Glory to the Lord! For our very first time in Youth for Christ Burundi and in a time of crisis in the country, when everything is very expensive including food, we got a food donation from World Food Program for our kids in Homes of Hope (orphanage). What a Heavenly blessing at the right time! Again Glory to the Lord!

Request for Sponsorship

Dear Sir, Madam, Honorable....................................................................

Gitega International Academy, a mixed and boarding Christian English International Secondary School, located in the Central Province of Gitega, the first of its kind in the whole country is seeking your financial support for a basketball tournament that is due to take place in the Ethiopian Capital Addis- Ababa in February 17 until 21, 2016.

This tournament is going to provide exciting learning experiences for the Burundian Youth as it will offer them a great opportunity to interact with the Youth from other countries of Africa and the World at large. It will be an opportunity for Burundian Youth to display their talents to the World but also widen their horizons about the world.

Therefore, supporting this event on your side will be joining our school into building a great future for our nation by helping us groom a new generation of young men and women of Integrity- Excellence and responsible Leadership ( which is our school Motto).

Your contribution under- mentioned " Voyage à Addis" may be deposited in FINBANK on the GIA account no 20004306011(Burundi francs) or in Kenyan Commercial Bank (KCB) in Burundi account no 6600032928 JEUNESSE POUR CHRIST ( USDollars).

We highly appreciate the support in advance. INDEED, WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER.

Happy New Year

« Today in the town of David a

Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. »  Luke 2 : 1 

« Wishing you and your loved ones a 

Happy New Year”.

With Love,

Burundi Youth for Christ Family.