In Burundi, ZOA works with conflict and natural disaster affected populations in Makamba, Cibitoke and Rumonge. We target especially vulnerable farmer households, youth and primary schools. Through our integrated approach, we support vulnerable people who are struggling to survive. We are active in the field of peacebuilding, food security and livelihoods, WASH and Education.
Promoting peace and stability
Since 2014, ZOA implements land certification projects in Makamba province. Our objective is to secure land ownership and reduce the number of conflicts arising around land. The projects are funded by the Dutch Embassy and USAID and pay special attention to women’s land rights, as they are the backbone of households and farms. Since land conflicts are a severe threat to insecurity in Burundi, ZOA trains local village structures Commissions de Reconnaissance Collinaire (CRCs) in land conflict mediation. These CRCS are specifically mandated by Burundian law to resolve disputes between landowners. ZOA has also established five district cadastre offices, through which around 92.000 land parcels were registered between 2014 and 2019. On village level peace committees have been created and trained to make conflict mediation accessible for the most vulnerable. These peace committees represent different social groups and do not ask anything in return for their services. Their approach is to always look for reconciliation between different parties in conflict, so that no grievances remain.