Wedding bells coming for a worthy young man
Steve came to the orphanage as a young teenager, bringing with him his five younger siblings. Both of his parents had died, and no one in his community was able to help him and his siblings. He looked for work each day, searching to find small tasks that would pay. His only mission was to find food each day to keep his younger brothers and sisters alive.
A priest found him, though, and directed him to Mama Georgette and her orphanage. He showed up with two of his siblings: the others would be able to join at later dates. From then on, life changed for Steve. He learned the transforming power of love, of healing and hope that comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ, lived out by Mama Georgette and her team.
Nourished physically and spiritually, Steve and his siblings began to blossom. The price of Steve’s sacrifice for his brothers and sisters, though, was substantial. Academics proved difficult for Steve. He was not able to keep up with students his age. Not ashamed of this, and committed to continuing to learn for the rest of his life (though not in school), Steve enrolled in trade school.
As he also “aged out” of the orphanage, he moved away from the orphanage for a few months, only to return as the night watchman for the boy’s dormitory and driver for the staff.
In late November, 2020, Steve decided to return to the village where he was born. The state of affairs for this remote rural area were more desperate than imagined. Isolation, malnutrition, disease, and joblessness had completely decimated the lives of parents and children alike.
Steve, following Mama Georgette’s example in being an agent of reconciliation in Burundi, wondered if Mama Georgette and her team would agree to open a second orphanage. Finding this idea courageous and inspiring, Mama Georgette agreed to help him explore opening a new campus, and BMP committed to helping find a way to finance it.
In January, 2021, a beautiful home was rented and applications for occupancy permits were completed. While waiting for permission to become a habitable home for children, the newly christened Family Care Center served well-balanced meals each day to 41 children.
Finally, in February, 2022, the government approved that the Family Care Center could be an extension of La Providence Orphanage. On March 27, 2022, six extremely malnourished children were moved into the FCC for extra care, while 35 children and their mothers began attending a full day program. While the children enjoy breakfast, lunch, and a range of activities, the mothers are trained in home hygiene and how to cook nutrient-rich cereals.
This is only one example of Steve’s deep commitment to follow in Mama Georgette’s footsteps. His commitment to never forgetting where he came from and where God brought him fuels his energy to continue to work hard and sacrificially each day.
Today, he delights in doing the tasks that others find difficult or inconvenient. He is happy to run a sick child to the hospital in the middle of the night. He willingly drives the orphans to school or drives to distant markets to find food for the children. During the severe gas shortages, he can be found waiting in a line for up to five days to get gasoline for the staff vehicles.
It brings incredible joy to our team in Burundi to share that Steve is now engaged. His wedding is planned for February, 2024. His lovely fiance has recently earned a degree in accounting at the local university. She and Steve are excited to start their own family and to give their children a better life-start than Steve’s.
Impactful, lasting change in Burundi, as evidenced in this story, is not political or economic in nature: it is spiritual in nature and elicits generational change through loving and serving children. Steve is fully committed to continuing the work of reconciliation that was begun when Mama Georgette first returned to Burundi and opened the orphanage. To God be the glory!