Pictured above, volunteers of the Kibenga unit of the Burundi Red Cross have just finished digging a rough road. They plan to travel this road with their tools and embark on a project to clear land with the intentions of building a food store. As a part of their income generating initiatives, this food store is where they plan to store the rice that they harvest from a communal farm.
The community takes pride in its main source of income; a ten hectare rice plantation that members regularly tend. After the rice is harvested it is spilt three ways. Some is saved for the next planting season, some is sold, and some is passed on to those who are vulnerable.
With 350,000 Red Cross volunteers in Burundi this type of communal work is one of many. The volunteers also assist their communities through volunteer work such as building houses, doing manual work in their farms, building latrines, raising awareness on malaria and HIV/AIDs prevention, and administering first aid. They are also involved in disaster risk reduction programs. The motivation and work ethic of the Red Cross volunteers has allowed them to become a model of change and industry within their villages. To learn more about the volunteer development within Burundi and how it is positively impacting their communities visit the IFRC.