Catholic Relief Services Burundi

Catholic Relief Services opened its Burundi office in 1961 to support the influx of 160,000 refugees from present-day Rwanda. In 1962, operations were expanded to include maternal and child health care and social welfare. In 1986, CRS shifted its activities toward long-term sustainable development in the areas of agriculture, health (including HIV and AIDS), microfinance, and peace and justice. When war broke out in 1993, CRS addressed emergency needs while continuing development projects. Since the signing of the Arusha Accords in 2000, the country has experienced increasing relative peace, but chronic issues related to malnutrition, land conflict and social exclusion continue to negatively impact Burundi’s longer-term socio-economic development. CRS and our partners continue to serve the most vulnerable through post-conflict recovery and development programming.