The Context
Burundi is a country with a low-income economy. According to the Human Development Index, it ranks among the world’s least-developed countries, being positioned at 187th place out of 191 countries in 2021. Its economy relies heavily on the agricultural sector, which employs 80% of the population.
The government put in place in June 2020 by the newly elected president offered the opportunity for a new growth model driven by the private sector, but many challenges remain. In fact, the COVID-19 outbreak interrupted the fragile economic recovery, which faced enormous challenges, including a foreign exchange shortage, financial sector vulnerabilities, large external imbalances, fiscal pressure, and high domestic debt.
ST Foundation’s Presence
The Foundation decided to add Burundi to the operational countries in 2009. The DU Program was introduced to support all those disadvantaged communities that did not have any means to access ICTs. Over the years, the Foundation’s presence was consolidated and reinforced, with the primary goal of contributing to solving the country’s educational challenges. As a result, new infrastructures were created, and the Internet was made available to students and partnering schools.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the Foundation’s efforts in the region, but as of December 2022, the activities have resumed and gone back to a regular pace.
The organization, as of year-end, can count on 13 operational centers in different schools (mainly public organizations) to offer opportunities to improve the educational system. Since its inception, the DU Program has reached over 119,000 students who discovered the computer and technology world for the first time.
Based on the consistently positive results of the activities, the Foundation decided to launch also in this country the Tablet for Kids course in the center of CUBWENGE. Please visit the dedicated section for all the details.
