Burundi Friends International (BFI)

Our global outreach focus is on Burundi because an organization called Burundi Friends International (BFI) grew out of our community. We work closely with BFI in their mission to offer missing opportunities across Burundi in education and economic development.

Burundi Friends International was started by a group of women who met at a women’s retreat in May 2007. One of the women at the retreat grew up in Burundi and expressed her dream of helping her country out of poverty. With that, BFI was born.

BFI unites and educates youth, women and men leading to economic empowerment, building self-sustaining communities in Burundi, East Africa. Their core values include a Passion for Service, Dignity, Generosity, Compassion and Trust.

Their approach is two-pronged. Board members periodically visit Burundi to determine the needs of the people that align with their mission. In the US, they develop projects based on those assessments, partner with governments and other nonprofits if and when necessary, raise funds through organized activities and recruit volunteers with the appropriate skills and drive to make a difference in the world in order to accomplish goals. Then they return to Burundi and, with the assistance of Burundian volunteers and organizations, carry out projects.

To learn more, please visit www.bufri.org.