Speaking at the 2015 CCIH Annual Conference, Paul Mosley, former Country Director for Rwanda and Burundi for the Mennonite Central Committee explains an MCC program to improve the educational opportunities for an marginalized ethnic groups.

2. Background about Batwa in Burundi
• One of three ethnic groups
(hutus, tutsis, twa)
• Estimated to be 1% of
population
• Originally were nomadic
forest people known as
‘pygmies’. But with
deforestation they have been
resettled into communities
but do not adapt well to
agrarian life.
• Highly stigmatized, considered
by other groups to be dirty,
uneducatable, subhuman

3. Background about Hope School
Founders:
Innocent Mahwikwizi,
Beatrice Munezero
MIssion
• Help Batwa integrate into the
dominant culture through education
(mainstream education for the country
so they can go on to higher ed in
Burundi)
• Give Batwa pride in their identity
(cultural education)
• Participant driven initiative with
student committee input, Parent
committee input, Teacher committee
input, Batwa elder committee input
Innocent and Beatrice are Batwa
themselves, raised as orphans in a
different ethnic group but identify strongly
with the plight of Batwa in Burundi.

4. Approaches and Rationale
1) MCC supports core costs
(teacher salaries) and
evaluates outcomes (no
short-term exit strategy)
2) Other donors (Christian Aid
and FFHIA) support other
projects classroom
constuction, (and library)
3) Students use Burundian
public school curriculum-- to
be mainstreamed into
second level of secondary
school (11th grade)
4) Education includes a cultural
component learning about
Twa culture, music, dance,
history
1. Sustainability - Education
does not go away even after
the live of the project.
2. MCC’s long-term
commitment to the school
allows other donors to fund
one-off projects that are
easier to draw constituent
interest (complementarity)
3. Integration into dominant
culture is the desired
outcome
4. Mainstreaming but retaining
pride in their identity

5. • Reality---Quality of education in
Burundian system is poor,
curriculum over ambitious—4
languages by ninth grade (for
example)
• Practice---Teachers are
gatekeepers---rote learning--
failure is an objective—only let the
brightest continue,--
• Build capacity of teachers during
summer modules to develop child-
centered learning
• Results based evaluations of
project based on student success
on national exams!

6. Obstacles to Success (donor identified)
1) Child centered education requires inputs: books,
supplies, teaching materials
Response:
Advocacy for private donation which resulted in:
• Shipment of 6000 books and hundreds of teaching
materials, posters, art supplies, etc.
• Construction of library by another donor FFHIA.
2) No Access to clean water and decent latrines
Response:
Installation of rainwater collection tanks and improved
latrines

7. Obstacles to Success
(teacher/ administration identified)
• Absences due to illness
• Poor eyesight of many students
• Poor retention of girls beyond grade six (parental
disapproval, seduction by local boys)
Response:
• Arrangements made with local clinic to accept students
for treatment on credit (paid by donor)
• Sponsored visit to Bujumbura with a busload of
students to receive eye exam and glasses
• Advocacy with parents of individual girls by partner,
incentives: soap, sanitary napkins, new underwear

8. Obstacles to Success
(student identified)
• Hunger
• Lack of light to study in evening after chores
Response
• School feeding are known to raise test scores but
recognition of food security as a community problem
made this intervention seem unwise as it was not likely
to increase consumption of food by students. Decision
to focus a different program on improving food security
in the community.
• Lack of light– solar powered lights installed in one
classroom and the library and evening study sessions
arranged for students with support by academic prefect.

9. Obstacles to Success
(parent identified)
Anxiety about children
going on to secondary
school away from the
community
Response:
• Long-term goal of
building a second
level secondary
school (education
degree) to the
community. (Began
last year)

10. OUTCOMES
• Teachers are pedagogically oriented toward student success (shared
vision)
• School is equipped to provide student-centered education
• Students are empowered to see their capacity and responsibility in
succeeding
• Parents and Batwa elders are advocates and supporters of the
school
• The Nyangungu community has come to see the Batwa as social
equals and are pleased to send their non-Twa children to Hope
School.
• Since 2012, more than 50% of students in 10th grade pass national
exam
• In 2014, for the first time, 2 Twa girls from the school succeeded in
10th grade and passed the national exam!!

11. Lessons Learned
• Objectives and indicators ofproject success need
to be contextually defined.
• Long-term commitment (> 20 years) with small
inputs is effective and creates a platform for
short-term interventions as well. (Small FBOs can
this niche)
• Participants/stakeholders (teachers, parents,
community leaders, students) can identify and
help solve their own problems and insure success
of the project.

12. End