Our Mission to Burundi, Africa
 Civil war torn, Burundi, once known as Urundi, was controlled
by Germany from 1884 and by Belgium from 1919 until gaining
its independence in 1962. The original inhabitants of Burundi
were the Twa, a Pygmy people who now make up only 1% of the
population.
Today, the population is divided between the Hutu and the
Tutsi. While the Hutu and Tutsi are considered to be two
separate ethnic groups, both groups speak the same language,
have a history of intermarriage and share many cultural characteristics.
However, Burundi's recent history is replete with bloody
battles between the Hutu and Tutsi, and those ethnic conflicts
and disagreements continue today.
The future of Burundi is
somewhat bleak, as less than 50% of children attend school,
and HIV/AIDS is almost out-of-control. In addition, basic
foods and medicines are in short supply. With a high population
density and very limited natural resources, most of the citizens
remain economically suppressed, and resign themselves to
subsistence agricultural farming.
In 2002, Pastor Maxwel,l with
a missions team from the Cleveland Baptist Association, traveled
to Burundi to learn more about the country, its people and
their needs. Our goal was to establish a sister-church relationship
with the Kinama Baptist Church of Burundi. Since that time
Affinity has sent several mission teams to Burundi, providing
assistance in educational, construction and medical ministries.
We have assisted in the construction and financing of the
Kinama Baptist Church Multi-Service Center building that
was dedicated in 2006.
Learn more about Missions at Affinity.
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