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USAID/OTI Burundi Hot Topic

August 2005

Graduates of Vocational Training School Put New-Found Skills to Use

The Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) supports the ongoing peace process in Burundi, as outlined in the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, by strengthening local capacities to benefit from and contribute to the peace process. PADCO Inc., the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the national nongovernmental organization African Strategic Impact implement OTI's Community-Based Peace and Reconciliation Initiative (CPRI) and manage CPRI's field offices in Gitega and Ruyigi Provinces. CPRI's four components - the Community-Based Leadership Program, Vocational Skills Training, Community Initiatives, and media - strengthen local-level cooperation for conflict mitigation, help diverse groups generate non-farm income, and increase knowledge and participation in public dialogue on current issues.

VST graduates from Ruyigi Province.

OTI's eight Vocational Skills Training (VST) schools in Burundi are gaining attention among nongovernmental organizations and businesses seeking skilled labor. The third session of VST is nearing completion, bringing the total trained to 3,000. Students have been qualified in masonry, roofing, carpentry, sewing, brick- and tile-making, and bread- making. Some students have formed associations to manage micro-enterprises, or have entered the job market directly.

The ability of students to find a means of income that is not based on subsistence agriculture is critical because one source of conflict in Burundi is the lack of available land. The OTI program promoting VST has addressed this by providing access to non-farm-income generation.

Journalists and media outlets have been reporting on the success of the program during the last month as graduates have been achieving greater success in the marketplace. Radio ONUB, the U.N. radio station, ran a report about the program. Other radio stations, such as Bonesha, RTNB and Isanganiro, also have reported stories about the program and profiles of students.

The program has been lauded by the Burundian government for the speed with which it was initiated, as well as the fact that the eight VST schools have ex-combatants counted as students. The national demobilization campaign has reacted favorably to OTI's assistance in providing training to former combatants as they leave the demobilization camps and return to their communities of origin.

For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Donna Kerner, Program Manager at 202-712-0716 or dkerner@usaid.gov