Goats and Garments: Bringing Hope to Burundi
For many supporters of Comfort International, Burundi remains a distant place—far from everyday experience and difficult to imagine. Few have walked its streets, met its people, or seen firsthand the challenges faced by families struggling to survive. Yet it is here, in this small East African nation, that our partners are quietly bringing hope.
In Bujumbura, our grassroots team at Comfort Burundi runs a Street Kids Rescue project, offering care, safety, and a future to vulnerable children. In the north, in the town of Ngozi, Gerard Rukerandanga of the Elim Church leads a church leaders’ training programme (CIMS) and supports the deeply marginalised Batwa community.
These are powerful beginnings—but we believe there is so much more that can be done.
A Country in Crisis
Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world. It ranks 187th out of 193 nations on the UN Human Development Index and has the second lowest income globally. Many families survive on as little as £16 a month, and 87% of people live on less than £1.40 a day.
Even more distressing, around 57% of children are malnourished. For many, this leads to serious illness or early death.
Behind these statistics are real people: parents desperate to provide for their children, young people longing for opportunity, and communities trapped in a cycle of poverty that steals hope for the future. To meet such wonderful, resilient people living under such pressure is both humbling and heartbreaking.
A Vision for Change
Against this challenging backdrop, we were encouraged when Gerard approached us with a bold and compassionate vision: to reach the poorest and most vulnerable families in Ngozi and surrounding areas and equip them with practical tools to transform their lives.
His proposal is simple, sustainable, and powerful.
Over the next three years, 500 goats will be given to the poorest families. Each family will care for their goat, and when it gives birth, the first kid will be passed on to another family. In this way, the blessing multiplies.
Goats provide:
Manure to improve crop yields
Income from selling offspring
A reliable source of long-term support
Alongside this, a tailoring project will provide sewing machines and training so families can learn to make and mend clothes. This creates skills, dignity, and new income opportunities—especially for women.
Goats and Garments: A Multiplying Mission
With livestock being shared and livelihoods being created, the “Goats and Garments” project is ready to launch.
This is an opportunity to work with our partners and local people to create a growing community of project members who have found the support they needed to break the cycle of poverty and develop their own sustainable future.
It is about empowering families to provide for themselves, to plan for tomorrow, and to break free from generations of poverty. It is about restoring dignity and building resilient communities.
We are praying that God will bless this project and use it to bring lasting transformation across Burundi.
How You Can Help
You can be part of this life-changing work.
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A sewing machine costs around £80
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A goat costs around £60–£65
Each gift represents more than equipment or livestock. It represents hope, opportunity, and a future.
Together, we can help families in Burundi move from survival to stability, from hardship to hope. With your support, Goats and Garments can become a thriving, multiplying project that blesses generations to come.
Thank you for standing with us—and with the people of Burundi.