Fighting Illiteracy Among Churchgoers

Restoration Burundi (RESTOBU) is working with various churches to bring about transformation in Burundian society. While RESTOBU focuses primarily on spiritual growth, it has recognized that the inability to read the Word of God is a major barrier—not only to spiritual development but also to everyday life. In rural areas, some churchgoers never had the opportunity to learn how to read and write due to various challenges, including poverty and conflict.

Ange, a mother of two in her 40s, shares her tragic story which caused her to be illiterate

“We didn’t go to school because we grew up during the war, which claimed the lives of our parents and left us orphaned. My father was attacked with a machete during the 1993 crisis, which was marked by targeted killings. When the attackers came, they killed him. Some of us survived by hiding and later fled and grew up in a displacement site and were no longer able to go to school.”

Adidja Niyogushimwa, a 13-year-old girl, also tells her experience:

“My parents divorced. My mother moved to Bujumbura and my father went his own way. We don’t know where he is. I went to live with my grandmother, but she is very poor and couldn’t afford copybooks or school uniforms for me.”

RESTOBU focuses on empowering the poorest church communities. One of its key contributions is providing literacy classes to church members. One such class is held at the FECABU Temple in Kigoma Zone, Bugabira Commune, Kirundo Province. Learners come from various churches to attend.

Juliette Niyomwungere, a devout Christian with a passion for preaching the Gospel, explains the impact this program has had on her life:

“Before, when others preached the Gospel, I said to myself, ‘If only I could read and write, I would preach too.’ I have always felt a calling to preach. Now I am proud—I can read! I can’t find words to thank those who brought this program. God bless you so much.”

Adidja is also grateful for the opportunity:

“Since no one could take me to school, I decided to come and learn to read and write here. I’m happy—I can read now. I thank those who started this program very much.”

This is the second group of learners to complete the program in this commune. The class consisted of 15 learners in total