Providing health care to 1000s in Bujumbura slum

In 1993 my family and I took refuge in Rwanda. In 1994 we returned to Burundi, we found our house destroyed and we built a small straw house. We suffered marginalization because we were very poor. They called us “pygmies”. I was 16 years old and I was very touched by this discrimination in my community and I decided to go to the rebellion soldiers.

After war, I was among the demobilized soldiers. I got married to a man and we had 4 children together and then he died.

After his death his family made me suffer the worst; my husband's family took away my 4 children and threw me out because we lived in the family plot. I started drinking a lot of beer to calm myself down.

Now, from morning until night I live in the cabaret; I mean I have become an alcoholic. In this cabaret men use to rape me when they find me drunk. I tried to give up to alcohol but it's stronger than me. Thanks for inviting me to this workshop to have a chance to share my sad story.

• FWA_September_2022_Narrative_Report_WEBSITE.doc (DOC)

I married an orphan husband. He promised me to live happily and He used to say that I am all He has. After 4 year, he started dating other women. I lived in the village and He was in Bujumbura.

One day I asked him money to buy a cow in order to have manure. He answered me: "I bought one cow, it's a cow with two legs, (she talk about me and dowry) I can't buy another “Then He asked me for the money and I gave it to him. After I found that He had a premature child with another woman and the money was to pay for his hospitalization.

After that he called me and told me to come and live with him in Bujumbura. When I was hesitating, he told me that if I don't com,  dangerous things could happen to me and I made the decision to go to live with him here in Bujumbura. It was afterwards that I discovered that this woman wanted to live with my husband by force and that my husband did not want it.

In that house I was victim of psychological violence; my husband gave me the order to prepare and serve food to his wife and my husband at the table while I and my children ate outside. I was preparing meals and serving them but my heart was bleeding.

One day I felt that I could not take it anymore; I told him that if this woman will come back again in my house I will throw hot water on them. He was scared and he made the decision to sleep in the house of his second wife or to come home late.

One day he came home around 2 a.m. and I refused to open until 8 a.m. I wanted everyone to see the bad husband he is. When I opened the door, he took everything in our house and wanted to leave us and I refused, explaining to him that he was not going to run away from his responsibilities. So, He took a rebar and beat me until I fainted. You could even see the scars.

Until now I'm in this situation but God gave me the courage to work to support my children He's there. When he wants, he comes back home; when He doesn't want he doesn't come home.

• FWA_AUGUST_2022_NARRATIVE_REPORT_Website.doc (DOC)