Burundi’s high maternal and child mortality is caused in part by the high fertility rate, prompted by low rate of contraceptive use. Available sources report a contraceptive use of 18% among married women, but this excludes unmarried sexually active women. This study employed mixed methods to understand rates of contraceptive use in rural Burundi. We first assessed availability and uptake of contraceptives in 39 health clinics in the rural districts of Rumonge and Bururi. We selected sites with different utilization rates and conducted individual interviews and focus group discussions. 56 individuals participated including women, men, facility managers and community leaders. Uptake of family planning averaged 2.96%. Greater uptake was positively associated with the number of health professionals engaged and trained in family planning service provision as well as the number of different types of contraceptives available. Uptake was inversely associated with duration of stockouts and number of contraceptives stocked out. Qualitative data pointed to scarce resources, sociocultural factors, fear of disclosure and side effects, partner’s disapproval, and lack of information on modern contraceptives as explanations of low uptake. Interventions would need to take into account one or more of these factors in order to improve uptake of family planning

No description available.

This study analysed the impact of the palm oil industry on smallholder and subsistence farmers in the Rumonge region of Burundi, the second poorest country in the world. Burundi has widespread poverty and suffers severe capacity constraints, and skill shortages brought about, in part, by ethnic civil war, political conflict and internal displacement. Ingrained animosity has disrupted farming, escalated poverty and hampered development projects such as palm oil farming. Little research has been conducted into the causes and possible solutions to these problems. Using sustainable development theory and agricultural development theory, this study addressed this gap by considering the potential benefits of sustainable palm oil production in the context of the socio-economic challenges facing Burundi. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, the study targeted four villages of Rumonge District, including Kizuka, Busaga, Dama and Birimba. A combined total of 300 respondents was derived from these four villages. Findings of the quantitative study suggest that palm oil had a positive impact on the social and economic lives of rural communities in Rumonge District;. However, challenges remained in capacity, farming skills and resources. Results from qualitative interviews and focus groups confirmed that earnings from palm oil could be used to support education, skills transfer through family ties; and employment of local people. However, from the perspective of environmentalist activists, it was indicated that while palm oil generated economic benefits for local communities, at the same time traditional farming methods led to pollution and degradation of the natural environment. Qualitative findings further showed that small-scale palm oil farmers faced numerous challenges which often led to the failure of some of their ventures, such as access to funds, lack of technical support, lack of knowledge in utilising business networking, low skills levels, limited understanding of land rights issues, civil conflicts and rising production costs. Additional problems were noted regarding environmental problems and the disappearance of wildlife. The study confirmed the need for small-scale farmers to be adequately capacitated with information, training, resources and technical support to be able to use sustainable farming methods in order to enhance yields. The study contributes to knowledge by identifying how rural smallholder farmers can design more extended longer-term plans to improve their livelihoods, particularly concerning how palm oil production can address the socio-economic problems facing the people of Burundi. / Development Studies / D. Phil. (Developmental Studies)

This dissertation examines the factors that shape political participation and perceptions about political choice during and after conflict. Societies that experience civil war, and particularly ethnic civil war, are vulnerable to the “conflict trap,” meaning that they are likely to experience second or third wars based on tensions exacerbated by conflict. Existing literature on group mobilization in post-conflict societies and related scholarship predicts that factors like ethnic identity, income, and education best explain participation in political violence and likelihood of recurrence of civil war. However, countries often defy these predictors, and gaps remain in our understanding of how citizens participate in politics during conflict. This dissertation therefore seeks to answer the question: What explains citizens’ choices about political participation as they experience the turmoil conflict and post-conflict periods? To answer this question, this study draws upon the case of Burundi, a country that has hovered between post-conflict and conflict statuses since the conclusion of its recent civil war. I conduct qualitative analysis of 113 in-depth interviews collected across four provinces in Burundi, examining the variety of choices made in relation to political participation both during and after the war. I find that citizens’ choices about political participation are fluid, and heavily contingent upon their interpersonal connections, with specific contributions in three main areas. First, rebel and political groups’ identities hinge upon the values associated with narratives they use to garner legitimacy, more so than the division itself (be it political, ethnic, or otherwise). Second, interactions that take place between generations and within key social networks heavily influence patterns of political participation. These interactions explain the wide array of relationships to politics observed within subgroups (like youth and women), and provide a better understanding of how they take action. Last, in the post-conflict era, non-state actors influence the potential for conflict, simultaneously creating space for wider political participation and challenging state actors still interested in maintaining legitimacy. These findings challenge currently weak predictors of cyclical violence and the assumed mechanisms driving them, highlighting the prominence of social ties and roles that shape mobilization and political choice.

This thesis argues that the different reactions of the population and rival elites to executive attempts to extend term limits in Rwanda and Burundi reflect the different ways civil wars ended in these two countries. In Rwanda, a military victory resulted in institutions that placed less constraint on the ruling party, while in Burundi, a negotiated settlement placed comparatively greater constraints on the ruling party. As a result, the major party in Rwanda was more powerful than the major power in Burundi, and thus more capable to co-opt or coerce the opposition. This paper uses a most-similar case design to test the hypothesis that civil wars that end in negotiated settlements are more likely to become unstable than a civil war that ends in a military victory when executives attempt to extend their term limits and finds that the civil war outcome was instrumental in explaining the divergent reactions in both countries. This paper has important implications for those interested in post-conflict situations and executive term-limit extensions.

No description available.

Ce travail porte sur le processus de parentification des enfants au Burundi. Il s’inscrit dans un contexte de dislocations familiales multiformes dues à des situations de crises sociopolitiques cycliques souvent à caractère ethnique et politique. Son objectif est de comprendre comment ce processus se met en place, quels sont ses effets sur les enfants parentifiés, et quel dispositif d’accompagnement faut-il envisager. 14 enfants et adolescents âgés de 7 à 17 ans, 7 parents et 1 éducatrice dans un orphelinat ont été rencontrés, à travers essentiellement l’entretien semi-directif et le modelage pour les enfants âgés de 7 à10 ans. Les résultats de notre recherche révèlent que le processus de parentification se présente chez les enfants burundais sous trois aspects principaux : l’exercice de l’autorité parentale, le maternage et le soutien affectif au parent fragilisé. Les enfants parentifiés assument beaucoup de responsabilités qui dépassent leur niveau de développement physique et psychique. Ces multiples responsabilités les empêchent d’avoir le temps de s’amuser comme les autres enfants, mais aussi les empêchent d’avoir de bons résultats scolaires. La parentification des adolescents dits « chefs de ménages » correspond à une sorte de résilience pour pouvoir survivre. Pour y arriver, ils disposent des ressources notamment les images, les paroles, les souhaits hérités des parents constituent des éléments d’étayage sur lesquels ces adolescents s’appuient pour pouvoir prendre en charge leurs fratries. Nos analyses qualitatives montrent que les enfants parentifiés exercent une parentalité précoce. Ils occupent une place parentale sans y être préparés et n’ont pas pu vivre tout ce qu’un enfant peut vivre. / This work concerns the process of parentification of Burundian children. It occurs in a context of family breakdown due to varied situations following the recurring sociopolitical crises mostly with ethnic and political backgrounds. The thesis aims at understanding how the process takes place, what are its effects on parentified children and which kind of support mechanism could be of some help to them. 14 children and adolescents aged 7 to 17, 7 parents and 1 orphanage educator were met, trough essentially the semi-structured interview and the modeling for children 7- 10 years- old. The results of our research reveal that the parentification process for Burundian children is experienced in three ways: exercising parental authority, carering for other children, and providing affective support for frail parents. Parentified children assume many responsibilities that are beyond their age and their level of physical and psychological development. These multiple responsibilities prevent them from having time to care for themselves as children, but also lead to their school education failure. Parentification for so-called “heads of households” teenagers constitutes a resilience mechanism for survival. To achieve this, they resort to different resources, including images, words and wishes inherited from their late parents which provide them with the strength to raise their siblings. Our qualitative analyzes show that parentified children experience early parenthood. They assume a parental position for which they are not prepared but also they miss their own childhood.

This study uses a praxis cycle approach to evaluate the work of the Anglican Diocese of Bujumbura in the community of Bwiza, a marginalised urban community in Bujumbura. In Chapter 2 it analyses the context of urbanisation in Burundi, with special reference to Bujumbura as capital. It then examines the work of the Diocese of Bujumbura in that urban setting in Chapter 3, against the background of Burundi’s religious composition and the history of the Anglican Church in Burundi as a whole. Chapter 4, gives a review of publications devoted to urban mission and theology. Special attention is given to liberation theology and the particular way it addresses poverty. Chapter 5 reports the findings of interviews and focus groups conducted with members of various churches in the community of Bwiza. In Chapter 6 these findings are interpreted missiologically, and the final chapter (7) suggests some issues for further research. The study explores the causes of poverty in Bwiza and suggests practical contributions that can bring about positive change. The main concern of the study is to bring awareness to the churches about the urgent need for urban ministry. It also explores possible solutions to urban poverty. The other concern of this study is to provide a basis for an urban mission strategy for the Anglican Church, which could assist other churches and all faith based organisations serving in urban settings. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology, with specialisation in Urban Ministry)

This study uses a praxis cycle approach to evaluate the work of the Anglican Diocese of Bujumbura in the community of Bwiza, a marginalised urban community in Bujumbura. In Chapter 2 it analyses the context of urbanisation in Burundi, with special reference to Bujumbura as capital. It then examines the work of the Diocese of Bujumbura in that urban setting in Chapter 3, against the background of Burundi’s religious composition and the history of the Anglican Church in Burundi as a whole. Chapter 4, gives a review of publications devoted to urban mission and theology. Special attention is given to liberation theology and the particular way it addresses poverty. Chapter 5 reports the findings of interviews and focus groups conducted with members of various churches in the community of Bwiza. In Chapter 6 these findings are interpreted missiologically, and the final chapter (7) suggests some issues for further research. The study explores the causes of poverty in Bwiza and suggests practical contributions that can bring about positive change. The main concern of the study is to bring awareness to the churches about the urgent need for urban ministry. It also explores possible solutions to urban poverty. The other concern of this study is to provide a basis for an urban mission strategy for the Anglican Church, which could assist other churches and all faith based organisations serving in urban settings. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology, with specialisation in Urban Ministry)

This paper aimed to analyse the impact of power sharing on democracy. The paper also compared the approach of Burundi and Rwanda in their constitutions to the concept of power sharing.