Attachments
Overview
Burundi has maintained a level of stability since the 2015 crisis and has been taking steps to invest in its human capital and macroeconomic potential. However, the country continues to face recurring climatic shocks such as floods, droughts, and landslides, which disrupt livelihoods, displace communities, and strain food supply chains, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. Burundi faces one of the highest inflation rates in Africa, coupled with frequent and prolonged fuel shortages that severely disrupt transportation and inflate the cost of essential goods and services. As a result, food insecurity and chronic malnutrition remain a major public health concern in Burundi. In addition, Burundi hosts about 60,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who solely rely on humanitarian assistance. The country also receives about 1,500 Burundian returnees monthly, many of whom settle in already food-insecure zones, further straining limited resources.
In line with Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), WFP is committed to addressing the root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition in Burundi. Through a collaborative approach with the Government of Burundi, WFP operates under a new Country Strategic Plan (CSP 2024-2027), which is designed to save and change the lives of the most affected. In 2024, WFP’s initiatives reached over 1.3 million food-insecure people, of whom 51 percent were women and around 210,000 were people with disabilities.
Through humanitarian food assistance, WFP reached approximately 59,000 refugees and asylum seekers in camps and transit centers, over 20,000 Burundian returnees, and 384,000 people affected by climatic shocks. Due to funding constraints, WFP adjusted its food rations, with refugees receiving 70 percent of their rations from January to July, 50 percent in August, and 75 percent from September to December. Over 3,000 metric tons (MT) of in-kind food and USD 5 million were transferred to the assist refugees and asylum seekers.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, WFP supported the implementation of the government-led school feeding programme, which incorporated a food systems transformation approach. This initiative prioritized local food procurement from smallholder farmers, benefiting both women (55 percent) and men. Over 700,000 school children received nutritious meals and USD 3.9 million was transferred to smallholder farmers through local food procurement, thus supporting agricultural development and enhancing the sustainability of the school feeding programme.
To support the growing number of schoolchildren in need, WFP had to prioritize assistance by adjusting the duration provided to individuals. Instead of the recommended 160 calendar days, assistance was reduced to just 84 days. This reduction stemmed from multiple operational challenges including funding constraints, delays in food safety and quality testing, and fuel shortages resulting in transportation constraints.
To reduce chronic malnutrition rates, WFP collaborated with the government and local partners to implement integrated community-based nutrition interventions. These initiatives aimed to enhance the production and consumption of locally produced, nutritious, and safe foods. As part of these efforts, WFP supported 72 community-based milling units and 5 medium-scale milling units, some of which produced 230 MT of fortified and composite flour throughout the year. WFP provided equipment, premix, and capacity strengthening in food handling and quality control. The produced flour was distributed to WFP-assisted schools, as well as households with malnourished children and pregnant or breastfeeding women and girls (PBWG). Furthermore, WFP partnered with BMZ/KfW to address chronic malnutrition by distributing specialized nutritious foods (SNF) to children aged 6-23 months and PBWG. Nutrition interventions reached over 60,000 women and men, girls and boys in 2024.
In collaboration with government institutions, international and local NGOs, civil society organizations, and the private sector, WFP also contributed to food systems transformation through capacity building for smallholder farmers, improving market access via the Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme, promoting local financial initiatives, and creating income-generating activities and assets.
Resilience-building activities were implemented to assist over 80,000 food-insecure and shock-prone people, of whom over 80 percent were women. Key interventions included the creation of assets, financial inclusion through Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), and income-generating activities. In 2024, VSLAs saved USD 428,091 and circulated loans amounting to USD 452,926 within their groups. WFP also provided conditional cash-based transfers (CBT) worth USD 1,482,828, which supported the establishment of productive assets to enhance community resilience.
Through the smallholder agricultural market support programme, WFP supported over 29,000 smallholder farmers (including 55 percent women), helping them improve their agricultural and livestock production while reducing post-harvest losses. WFP procured 5,093 MT of locally produced beans, rice, and maize, a significant increase from 3,575 MT in 2023. This local procurement injected USD 6.8 million into the local economy and benefited 5,909 smallholder farmers, including 3,250 women.