Key points :
- With financial support from the United Methodist Committee on Relief, the church in Burundi helped 140 households affected by severe flooding in the Bujumbura District.
- The homes of some 70 United Methodists were damaged, along with seven United Methodist churches.
- The Rev. Cimpaye Valentine, Bujumbura District superintendent, said the supplies boosted morale in the affected villages.
The United Methodist Church has provided relief and hope to flood survivors in northwestern Burundi.
Following devastating floods that ravaged the Bujumbura District in October 2023, the United Methodist Committee on Relief provided just over $50,000 to support hundreds of families. The United Methodist relief arm was the first organization to offer help to the region. Leaders of the church’s Bujumbura District delivered food and other supplies on Feb. 19.
The aid helped 140 households affected by the disaster, which represents about 280 people in several villages of the Cibitoke area.
This support has brought much-needed relief and hope to struggling communities, said the Rev. Cimpaye Valentine, Bujumbura District superintendent. She said the supplies have lifted the spirits of people in the affected villages.
“This support has generated great enthusiasm in our district,” Valentine said. “People are deeply grateful for the help they have received.”
The communities of Muyange, Buganda, Muhetso and Nyamarenge were the hardest hit. The homes of about 70 church members were damaged by the flooding, and seven United Methodist churches were affected. Two of the churches have been repaired while work continues on the other five.
Niyonkuru Onesime, a United Methodist pastor in Muyange, said the flooding has affected church activities in the region.
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“The floods have washed away our homes, churches and schools,” said Onesime. “We are homeless and have nowhere to worship God.”
Patrick Abro, a missionary with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries serving as health operation manager in the Burundi Conference, reported that the UMCOR grant enabled the purchase of 1,250 kilograms of rice, 1,250 kilograms of beans, 63 loincloths, 60 buckets, 90 liters of palm oil, soap, 570 metal sheets and metal doors and windows for home and church repairs.
The impact of UMCOR’s intervention was underlined by Evariste Ndamiye, administrative manager of Gasenyi Centre, who congratulated the relief agency on being the first to bring aid to the region.
“I am very happy and would like to thank the UMCOR organization and The United Methodist Church in Burundi for the help and support they are giving the people of Cibitoke,” Ndamiye said. He also expressed the Burundian government’s solidarity with The United Methodist Church in Burundi.
Eraste Ntizizakumwe, a member of the Muyange local church, shared his testimony: “I thank God for the wonders he has done in my life. UMCOR’s help has been a real comfort to all of us in Cibitoke. I feel happy since I received this help.”
Jacqueline Ntacoripfa, another resident affected by the floods, emphasized the positive impact on the community.
“UMCOR was the first organization to come to our aid, and its support was distributed to everyone without discrimination,” she said. “The spirit of the community has improved.”
Ndayisenga is a communicator for the Burundi Conference.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digests.