'Welcome home' to Burundi

I've taken a long sabbatical from blogging but arriving a Bujumbura in Burundi and delighted to find a cafe with wi-fi, there seemed no better time but to redeem this habit. I was greeted with the word 'Welcome Home' as arrived off the plane from Nairobi. I've not been here since September 2008 but as we drove in from the airport with Dieudonne our host from New Generation ( www.newgenerationburundi.org ), I felt a sense of excitement and expectation as to what changes I would witness, but also the big challenges facing this beautiful small country blighted by years of civil war, genocide and deep poverty.  I've flown in from Nairobi after 5 days in Kenya , James, who is travelling with me commented how he sensed immediately this was a country recovering from conflict as we drove past the vast UN compounds and soldiers with AK 47s on show. Its good to travel with someone with fresh eyes!  I can feel an intensity in the air that I can't quite articulate into words, but I've only been here for a few hours and I'm sure this will become more obvious to me as I settle back into the rhythm and life of this country.

We're staying with Dieudonne's family not far from the lake and across the road from the watchful eyes of the main UN compound. As peace starts to take hold so does the influx of returning refugees and displaced people from Burundi's troubled past.  Urbanisation has its positives and negatives, but I'm told the cities population of street children is increasing.  I'm here to spend time and learn from Street Action's partner New Generation and to see the change and progress made since we were last here with the New Generation team in 2008.  Its a privilege to be connected to a group of inspiring activists dedicated to supporting Burundi's street children and to stand in solidarity with a 'new generation' committed to bring peace to this beautiful small central African county.

I hope I can continue to blog as I go on my journey this week. It may be difficult as we travel north towards Rwanda to visit the New Generation Village that Street Action has supported this year. As I write there are several power cuts which is a reminder of the fragile progress of development, so whether this blog actually gets posted today (Tuesday) will be another matter. However,  I never expected to find a cafe with wireless (sadly no mobile phone connection at all!!!) here in Bujumbura so you never know when you might hear from me next.  

About

Joe is co-founder and director of Street Action ( www.streetaction.org ). Street Action was established in 2007 in the UK to support and work in partnership with pioneering street children organisations in Africa. Joe has worked alongside street children activists since 1996 when he first traveled to South Africa. Since then he has worked with a number of pioneering street children projects and activists in South Africa as well as traveling to other Southern and Eastern African countries. Studying a degree in Politics and obtaining a Masters in Development Studies and African Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), he has worked in the field of international development and also local community development in the UK. In 2010 he was made a research associate at the The University of London's Centre of African Studies, based at SOAS. Joe is co-author of Including Street Children (2011), a research report looking at the situation of street children in Durban, South Africa. His work has taken him to a number of countries in Southern and Eastern Africa, as well as India. He's also spent time in the United States traveling to San Francisco as well as New York and Washington DC to expand Street Action's advocacy, policy and research work. Joe currently lives in London, United Kingdom.

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