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Burundi 2009
Program
Itinerary
Logistics & Cost
Health and Security
Application
- When: Summer 2009
- Where: Bujumbura, Burundi (central Africa) (French spoken widely)
- Who: 15 American delegates (including facilitator and project directors) and 15 Burundian delegates (including Hutu and Tutsi) with a diverse mix of professional and technical skills and interests.
- What: Help bring clean water to the Carama district of Bujumbura. Share technical skills and professional expertise. Participate in dialogues promoting cross-cultural understanding, compassionate listening, conflict resolution, and leadership skills. Engage in cultural activities. Host Town Hall meetings with the greater Bujumbura community.
- African host organization: www.jrmd.org (JRMD/YRWD), Executive Director/Founder Prosper Ndabishuriye
- Program costs: $3150 (plus air fare) program fees cover all land transportation costs, most meals, lodging, plus a significant contribution to the service project and to support the Burundi delegate fees. Delegates are encouraged to fundraise the program costs; all donations are tax-deductible
Program
We will spend our days living, learning and working together. We will be deeply engaged with the Carama community in completing the water project and planning a Town Hall visioning session about the possibilities for the community now that they have clean water. We will also engage with the larger Bujumbura community, including community, government and business leaders, to convene a Town Hall session where a diverse group of Burundi stakeholders will dialogue about how to create a future that works for all Burundi. Just as important as the community service project are Global Citizen Journey’s workshops and circle work which weave together a variety of approaches to leadership and team building, small group processing, communication and peacemaking skills, and the sharing of our stories in a multicultural setting. The Burundian and US delegates will meet together daily to practice the peace-making strategies below while also preparing for the community water system celebration day.
Some of the skills and processes to be learned include:
- Compassionate Listening as a powerful tool for creating spaces for reconciliation.
- Conflict Resolution and Communication Skills Training: “interest-based” conflict resolution based on win/win communications theory and practice
- Dialogue: building on skills of inquiry practiced in a variety of forms including Conversations Cafe, using a talking object
- Diversity Training: principles of diversity as well as a variety of cross-cultural communication models will be introduced and practiced
- Guest lecturers from the region: Burundian politics, history, arts, culture, sustainability and agriculture, health and education
- Day trips to various NGO projects, religious groups, displacement camps, micro-lending projects, national parks and museums, and marketplaces depending on delegate commitment and interests
- Quiet times will be structured into our time for integrating our experiences rough journaling and other meditative tools
Facilitation will be shared by the US and Burundi delegation leaders and participants. We will engage the larger community of Bujumbura by hosting a Town Hall meeting, where diverse citizens representing all sectors of Burundi will gather to discuss how they can create the future they desire.
Itinerary
Check back–a full itinerary will be posted soon!
Logistics & Costs
The Global Citizen Journey to Burundi will take place in summer of 2009 for 2.5 weeks for program costs of $3150. Each delegate is responsible for arranging their own travel to and from Burundi, via Addis. We are working with travel agents to help you find the best routes and fare. The flight from Seattle to Addis and on to Bujumbura will cost around $2500, depending on individual travel plans pre/post journey. We will be staying at a conference center near Bujumbura for the whole length of our time in Burundi, including daily time spent with members of the Camara community. The US Delegation will meet at a number of times before leaving for Burundi, including one or two weekend retreats, plus several conference calls; and a minimum of three times after returning from Burundi.
Health and Security
We acknowledged that some applicants have raised concerns about the safety of traveling to Burundi. Our research and conversations with our local host reassure us: they are well networked and knowledgeable, with an ear to the ground to pay attention to the current situation and keep us safe. Check out our Safety and Security page, updated as of December 17th.
We will be posting information to help you acquire the appropriate immunizations and guide you in maintaining good health while on the Journey.
Download an application now!
Interested in going to Burundi? Please fill out this application and return it to GCJ. We are continuing to accept delegates but time is running short for fundraising, hence it is best to submit your application as soon as possible. We will continue to accept applications on a space-available basis.
Please contact Burundi Project Director, Brock Blatter, at brockb@amaazi.org with any questions.