Burundi
A Country in Need
Burundi is a small country located in East Africa. It borders Rwanda, Tanzania, and Congo. The country has had its fair share of political and social instability and is known as one of the poorest countries in the world. With a population of 11 million, Burundi is one of East Africa's most densely populated countries. Over 80% of the Burundian population live under the poverty line. Due to the constant instability in the country, the ones who suffer the most are the little children. There are over 600,000 orphans in Burundi. Many of them are left destitute and some of them suffer from AIDS.
Political Unrest
Burundi has been conflicted with violent civil and political unrest for much of the past thirty years. A civil war from 1993 to 2005 caused more than 200,000 Burundians to perish. Two genocides at the end of the 20th century claimed even more lives. Most recently, political violence in 2015 erupted causing hundreds of thousands of people to flee the country as refugees. More than half of all refugees within Burundi are children. Thousands of children have been displaced and left unaccompanied. Many of these children are at severe risk of abuse, neglect, sexual violence, exploitation, and death.
Hunger
Burundi is the most population-dense country in Africa with an average of 248 people per square mile. The majority of the population lives in villages scattered through the highlands, and over 80% are employed in agriculture. Most of these households farm simply to survive -- not to gain wealth. Due to the increasing population and natural disasters, farming land is extremely limited, which reduces the total capacity of food production. Even during harvest when food is most plentiful, the total food production only covers 55 days per person per year. With 65% of the population living under the poverty line, over 50% of people are chronically hungry.