BURUNDI
The Burundi Assemblies of God Fellowship, under the steadfast leadership of Pastor Jerome Ndayisaba, has seen remarkable growth. In 2016, when he was first elected, the BAGF only had 37 churches. Today, it has blossomed to over 150 churches, a testament to Pastor Jerome's unwavering commitment and vision.
The establishment of a School of Theology was a response to the pressing need for more trained pastors in Burundi. The 2017 launch of a church planting school in Bujumbura was a step towards meeting the short-term need. However, the need for a full three-year diploma program was urgent, underscoring the importance of your support in this endeavor. Living and working in Burundi presents significant challenges. The people here struggle with fuel and sugar shortages, infrastructure failures, and ethnic mistrust between the Hutu and Tutsis. The majority of Burundians, 85%, are subsistence farmers, and only 15% have electricity in their homes. These stark realities highlight the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for support and development in this region. In late 2017, the BAGF bought land for a campus in central Burundi near the capital city of Gitega and began to upgrade the existing buildings. The current need is a dormitory to move students out of the classrooms and open up more space for training.
Architect’s rendering of new student and staff dormitory
The current Bible School in Burundi opened two years ago with this simple classroom block. One room is a classroom. One room is a cafeteria. One room is a men’s dorm, and one room is the women’s dorm and storeroom. A bathroom block and kitchen were built on the end of the classroom block.
Because we only have one operational classroom, students come for three weeks at a time four times a year to take classes.
The entire property is several acres and has been terraced into three sections to prevent erosion from the nine months of rain Burundi receives. Here Pastor Jerome Ndayisaba is talking to local engineers about the dormitory location. The existing classroom block can be seen in the distance.