When the Diocese of Gitega returned to Busuma Refugee Camp to deliver another round of food supplies, 19-year-old Loïc was excited to see them back. He eagerly started helping them unload trucks full of fortified porridge, maize flour, and beans.  

A refugee from eastern DR Congo, Loïc found that the hardest part of living in a refugee camp was the psychological impact of fleeing home. But the practical care and prayers that the Diocese of Gitega provided gave him hope. “I thank God that the Church comes with prayers as well as food. I still don’t understand how people who have never met us can show such love and compassion while we are fighting among ourselves back home. That gives me hope.” 

Ven Salvator Niragira, Archdeacon of Kabanga, has witnessed the church in Gitega share what little they have with the thousands of Congolese refugees fleeing into Burundi. When the crisis began, the church generously donated maize, beans, clothing, and other essential items from their own harvests and belongings. This generosity has been possible through your support of the Diocese of Gitega’s WASH and food security projects. Through these projects, the church in Gitega has been strengthened in its resources, enabling its people to be generous towards others. Ven Salvator says, “We thank…our brothers and sisters in Australia for strengthening the mission of our Diocese and reminding us that the Church of Christ is one family, wherever we may live.” 

For your prayers 

Pray that God would provide the Congolese refugees with their daily needs, healing from trauma, and a sense of peace.