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Turi Kumwe (We Are Together)





Challenge

Political violence jeopardizes social cohesion and livelihoods of youth

Burundi
is a young nation with two-thirds of the population under the age of
25. After the end of its 10-year civil war, Burundi continues to face
challenges in establishing long-term peace and stability within its
borders. Ethnic divisions between Hutu and Tutsi populations, coupled
with political and electoral unrest, poverty and land conflict, continue
to plague efforts to establish social cohesion, and few economic
opportunities for young people put them at a higher risk of engaging in
political violence. With limited opportunities for youth to develop a
positive sense of purpose and mutual understanding, young people have
been drawn into local conflicts through political groups.


“The
commune of Giharo was seriously affected by social conflicts,
especially within households and between young people of different
political affiliations. I was surprised…when young people started to
benefit from the training, this phenomenon changed.”
A local administrative authority from Giharo

Status:
Completed
2020-2023

A woman presents her business plan at the competition in Nyamurenza, Burundi.









promise

Engaging Burundian youth in peacebuilding training and economic opportunities

The
People-to-People Reconciliation Program, known locally as “Turi Kumwe”
(“We Are Together”), strengthened the level of engagement by Burundian
youth in peacebuilding opportunities, as well as improved their economic
opportunities.


Through peacebuilding and violence prevention work, Counterpart
helped young people begin to change their perceptions of the “other,”
reduce “us-versus-them” mentalities, and build mutual understanding. The
project helped young people of diverse political, economic, social, and
ethnic backgrounds understand that they share common challenges and
appreciate how diversity and inclusion can improve targeted development
outcomes that would benefit all of them. Inter-commune exchanges further
facilitated relationship-building among youth outside of their
traditional interactions that forged resilient social ties to lay the
foundations for sustainable inter-communal reconciliation.


Counterpart’s interventions also helped young people improve their
pursuit of economic opportunities through strengthening connections with
village savings and loan associations (VSLAs), increasing their sense
of purpose, solidarity between members from different backgrounds, and
contribution to their families’ and communities’ well-being.


These interventions were designed to reduce youth competition and the
risk of participating in destructive activities or seeking financial
support from violent groups. VSLAs also provided young people with safe
spaces for interaction between diverse groups around a shared objective,
supporting broader community peacebuilding, mutual understanding, and
reconciliation.


The project helped improve the livelihoods and peacebuilding skills
of youth and their enabling environments, thereby reducing the risk of
youth becoming involved in conflict and contributing to peace and
stability in Burundi.









impact

Youth empowerment improves livelihoods

  1. Since 2020, Turi Kumwe formed over 60 inclusive village saving and
    loan associations that have pooled savings worth $55,000 and issued
    loans worth $70,000.
  2. Counterpart trained nearly 2,000 youth in a range of soft and hard skills.
  3. In the final evaluation, the project found there was a 38 percent
    increase in employment among participants, and 95 percent stated that
    the model enabled them to undertake an income generating activity and
    diversify their income.
  4. 97 percent of respondents in the final evaluation agreed that the
    project contributed to strengthening social cohesion and reconciliation,
    and there was a 70 percent improvement in youth’s attitudes towards
    gender equality.
  5. 92 percent of respondents in the final evaluation agreed that the
    Turi Kumwe project strengthened women’s leadership and community
    participation.

“Before
the project, the resolution of community conflicts was a matter for
older adults; young people were considered incompetent in this area.
With the project, the local authorities have started to involve us in
local governance matters because they have become aware of the topics we
learned through the sessions. Young people gradually gained confidence
and the incompetence assigned to them disappeared as they participated
in conflict management and prevention actions in their communities.”
A young man from the Kiremba commune




partners
United States Agency for International Development