Partnership Overview

After living in Burundi for a number of years, in 2015 Paulin Bashombana returned to his hometown of Bukavu, DR Congo, and very quickly realised that there was a big problem in eastern DRC, and something needed to be done. At their church and in local villages, they saw lots of very vulnerable people which stirred them to set up ACLUP and start providing micro-loans for vulnerable women (DRC08). There were also large numbers of orphans in the community, living on the streets, so Paulin brought them together, found ways for them to be able to study and has placed some of them in the homes of Christians from their different churches. These children are predominantly victims of the militia troubles, some of them are children of rape. 

His desire now is to provide ways for these children and their guardians to be able to generate an income and support themselves through training in Foundations for Farming and a goat loan programme.  

History of Partnership

BHW's New Partnership Facilitator (NPF) has known Paulin since 2014 when he first visited Burundi and Paulin was working with our partner there, HAWODI (BUR01). He attended some of Paulin's training sessions and visited a number of projects with him. In 2015 Paulin shifted from Burundi back to the DR Congo because of his family and for work with a university. He continued to communicate with BHW's NPF and kept him up to date with developments with ACLUP. It took another 4 years before BHW's NPF was able to visit in 2019 when he spent time with Paulin and the team understanding how the program was set up and how it operated. Following that visit, and subsequent ongoing communication, in June 2020 BHW's Executive approved commencing a partnership with ACLUP (DRC08).  

Early in 2021 Paulin presented the water needs of the community in Chikera to us (DRC08a) which we funded in late June and then early in 2022 he approached us in regard to providing regular funds to assist a number of other villages with water projects (DRC08b). 

Due to difficulty visiting DR Congo, in August 2022 BHW's NPF caught up with Paulin in Rwanda and it was during this meeting that Paulin told us about these orphans he was trying to support and his desire to assist them in some way.  It took another year of communicating and trying to come up with a viable plan before, in November 2023, the BHW Executive approved commencing this project. 

Beneficiaries

The approximately 20 orphans and their guardian families who will benefit from the Foundations for Farming training and the goat programme.  

What We Like About The Partnership

The people being assisted are the poorest of the poor, vulnerable children.

The programme is designed to help the children holistically. They are placed in families who have been carefully selected and who can care for them physically, emotionally and spiritually.

The children and their guardians and families are being empowered to produce their own food, so they are not dependent on others. 

Paulin will continue to monitor the children and their families to ensure they are being well cared for. He has a real heart for these children to see them develop and flourish. 

This is done in the context of a church, and all the selected families are strong Christian people.

Paulin has proved that he is capable of delivering good outcomes. 

Key People

Leadership Profile

Paulin Murhimanya Bashombana was born in 1978 in the Village of Chikera in Bukavu. His dad came from a very poor family and had no wealth except that he was a primary school teacher. His mother was a cleaning lady who looked after the four children. They were very poor and lacked food, clothing, everything. They survived thanks to the interventions of benefactors. Throughout his life, Paulin served the Lord in churches in his community and hoped that one day his life would change, and he would be able to serve those whose lives have been shaped by their poverty.

In the 6th grade of primary school, he was fortunate enough to be cared for by missionaries from the Free Methodist Church. Thanks to their Child Care program he was able to study and gained a State Diploma in General Pedagogy. Due to a lack of money, he was unable to go to university and it took 6 years before he was able to travel to Burundi and begin university with the assistance of the church. He joined the Université Espoir d'Afrique (Hope Africa University) affiliated with the Free Methodist Church and did a 4-year bachelor's degree in administrative and economic sciences, and then 2 years of master's degree in business administration. During this time, he learned a lot about the Christian values as the foundation of a human life and from then on, he decided to keep the principles of these Christian values to guide my life. 

Currently Paulin is a lecturer at different universities in Burundi and DR Congo and is a founding member of the ACLUP (DRC08). Paulin is married with five children, two daughters and three boys. 

Vision And Annual Strategy

Vision

To improve the livelihoods of a group of orphans living in Bukavu and give them hope for the future. 

Strategy 

Initially the orphans and guardian families will be trained in Foundations for Farming and goat rearing and following this each child will then be provided with a pregnant goat. After a year, if they are faithful, they will receive a second pregnant goat and these goats will become the basis for them being able to support themselves. Paulin will also buy four male goats for future breeding. 

Annual Budget

The initial budget of US$3,333 will cover the cost of the Foundations for Farming training (including providing tools and inputs) and the purchase of the goats.