Mission Of the Month - The Watts Family in Burundi

One of the true joys that we get living and working here in rural Burundi is the opportunity to link your generosity with deep needs.

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Mama Bella is a woman whom Susan first met at the feeding program several years when she was bringing her extremely malnourished daughter Bella to get food. When Susan started to get to know the family, she learned there was also a son with severe vision problems as well three other children. The father has some significant cognitive disabilities and needs surgery for a growth on his head, and was unable to work.

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The family just barely survived. Just barely.

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Their house was tiny, dark, leaky. The single room had a mud floor as the roof leaked so much. It was also pitch dark as the roof didn’t keep out the rain, but did keep out the sun. It had no door. No windows. It wasn’t even tall enough for an adult to stand up inside. The family ate and slept in that one small mud room that even many rural Burundians here would not use for their animals.

In a culture where social standing is clear and important, having one more strike against you (no proper house) is not just a physical burden, but also a social, emotional, and mental drain. It’s hard to get ahead when you spend so much time and effort just trying to keep your family dry and safe — constantly having to reapply mud to the walls and leaves and grass to the roof was a losing battle that they had been fighting for years. We coordinated some of our construction workers (who were between projects at the hospital) to design and build them a new house.

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Their new house would not be considered fancy by western standards, but the upgrade is massive. They now have a tin roof that will keep out rain for years to come. The walls are solid brick, built on a proper stone foundation. They have wooden doors and windows that can be closed and locked. The floor is cement. They have four rooms inside and a small outdoor cooking spot out the back. The difference is shocking.

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The family will still struggle to feed themselves, the father still has no work, the son still has vision problems. However, there is safety, stability, and dignity that comes from having a proper house. A roof that does not leak, a door that you can actually lock. Windows that can be closed. A floor that is not mud. They can spend less time gathering leaves to patch their roof, and more time tending crops. The kids should get sick less often now that they won’t be lying in the mud. They don’t have to worry that any item they acquire, starting with a cooking pot, may get stolen.

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It’s a big deal for this family — and you made it possible.

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The Bible tells us over and over that one of the fundamental ways we serve God and worship Him is by taking care of the poor, the sick, the orphans, the widows — those who have been beaten down by the powers of this world. In this case, we had an opportunity to do just that. Your support and our construction team’s talent came together to make this family a home.

And that is incredible.

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