In Burundi, many children and young people grow up without adequate parental care or are at risk of losing it. Children who grow up “alone,” without the love and support of a parent or caring adult, are more vulnerable to discrimination, neglect, abuse, and abandonment. They often have fewer opportunities to learn, develop life skills, and grow into independent, contributing members of their communities. 

Since 1979, SOS Children’s Villages has been offering family-like care in Burundi as a foundation for giving these children a safe and nurturing environment. The first SOS Children’s Village opened its doors to 101 children in Gitega, providing them with a stable family environment where they could grow, learn, and regain hope. 

As conflicts in Burundi increased the number of children deprived of parental care, SOS Children’s Villages expanded its family-like care service across the country. SOS children’s villages were established in Bujumbura (1985), Muyinga (1994), Rutana (2002), and Cibitoke (2009), offering a loving home to thousands of children and young people who had lost their families. 

Today, 2,227 children have benefited from family-like care, with 1,043 young people leaving the program as independent adults and 307 establishing their own households. Currently, 415 children and young people receive family-like care across five programme locations. 

Following UN guidelines on alternative care, SOS Children’s Villages in Burundi also supports children through foster families, kinship care, and small group homes, ensuring that even more children have access to the quality care and support they need to thrive. 

Through family-like care, SOS Children’s Villages not only restores stability and hope to children’s lives but also equips them to build a brighter future for themselves and their communities.