Abaremeshamahoro

Since its creation in 2007, the Abaremeshamahoro Association has implemented a number of projects. Among its most important and ongoing projects are:

The Centre Amahoro

The Abaremeshamahoro Association has located its headquarters at the Centre Amahoro. Amahoro means ‘peace’ in the local language. In 2007, the Peace Centre Amahoro was created as a multi-functional facility for the community where activities would be developed to promote peace and reconciliation in the area. As a local community center the Centre Amahoro houses a number of services for the benefit of the inhabitants of Kirundo, including a Library and a Computer Center. It is managed by a Board of Directors and it is considered as one of the permanent projects/ activities of the Abaremeshamahoro Association because the Center hosts local activities to the benefit of Women, the Youth and other members of the community as well.

The Abaremeshamahoro Training Project

After the conflict that divided our nation, the Women of Kirundo, with the assistance of other Burundian Women in Diaspora, organized and trained a total of seventy [70] community leaders to become ‘Peace Mediators’ or Abaremeshamahoro. Fifty [50] out of seventy [70] participants were local women. After the training sessions, the participating community leaders decided to found the Abaremeshamahoro Association. Over the years, these community leaders have trained others to become Peace Mediators. According to estimates of the Board, each community leader has trained at least ten [10] other community members. At present, the community of Peace Mediators belonging to the Abaremeshamahoro Association is formed by more than 700 members of which the majority are women. The Peace Mediators occupy an important position in their respective communities since they mediate in a great number of local issues. For the immediate future, the Association seeks to:

1. Further reinforce the network of Abaremeshamahoro or Peace Mediators through exchange of experiences
   
2. Offer tools to Abaremeshamahoro or Peace Mediators in order to motivate them and facilitate their job
3. Work on a needs inventory as a basis for the creation of a local Coordination and Support Center
   
4. Develop an educational program for a new generation of Peace Mediators

Teachers without Borders Exchange Program

This program started in 2009 and still continues. About 200 professionals in the education sector (including teachers and Regional Directors) from Northern Burundi have benefitted of this initiative. This Exchange Program between teachers from Belgium and Burundi has been designed in order to reinforce the capacity of local teachers in Kirundo and to inspire and put to use the expertise of the Belgian teachers and the Belgian education system. In the initial stages of the project, the objectives were to:

1. Share didactics (teaching methodology) with French and English language teachers
2. Training for after-school support English language teachers
3. ICT training courses for teachers (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) as a way to increase ICT support in the language classes
4. Training for ICT support and maintenance personnel in Kirundo
5. Pedagogy training for teachers
   

In later years, Teachers without Borders and the Abaremeshamahoro Association focused on:

1. Support for the Librarians and the set-up of a catalogue system for the Library at the Centre Amahoro
   
2. The set-up of a lending system for the Library
3. Explore possibilities for the introduction of a Library-bus
4. ICT lessons for Regional Education Directors
5. Demonstration workshops to promote the use of chemistry experiments in class
6. Drama workshops with the aim to start a local Theatre Company
7. Follow-up sessions with the after-school support English Language teachers