Tumaini team during a visit to the Humura Centre in Gitega, Burundi. Credit: USI.

Tumaini project teams – Health and Rights of Women, Adolescents and Children – met in Burundi from 28 April to 11 May 2025 to report on year 3 and plan for year 4, including the launch of activities in three provinces in Burundi and the city of Bujumbura. The project has been operating since 2022 in four health zones in South Kivu, DRC, and aims to strengthen and improve access to health services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

The International Centre for Advanced Research and Training (ICART), with the support of the Panzi Foundation and the Mukwege Foundation Netherlands, organised a training course for Burundian data collectors and supervisors. The training focused on the use of REDCap (a web application used to design and manage research databases and surveys), mastery of data collection tools, conducting focus groups, etc. It was a preliminary step to conducting field surveys in the four sites supported by the project: Seruka Center, Humura, Muyinga and Kayanza health centres. The teams visited the integrated centres for the holistic care of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Bujumbura, Gitega, Muyinga and Kayanza.

At each stage, meetings were held with the managers and staff of the centres in order to:
-Present Tumaini project and its objectives
-Discuss the rehabilitation and equipment activities planned for the reception, care and accommodation areas for survivors of sexual violence;
-Gain a better understanding of the local realities, needs and challenges specific to each site.

Caroline Auguste, Senior Coordinator at USI, with Odette Nijimbere, Coordinator of the Seruka Health Centre in Burundi. Credit: USI.

This fourth year marks the start of the implementation of the Tumaini project in Burundi, with the aim of scaling up the holistic model of care for survivors. Various specialists from the Panzi Foundation in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be involved in strengthening the capacities of Burundian partners and sharing best practices in the following areas:
-Medical, psychological and legal care;
-Socio-economic reintegration;
-Prevention of GBV at the community level.

About Tumaini:

Tumaini, Health and Rights of Women, Adolescents and Children, is implemented by the International Health Unit and the Hygeia Observatory of the University of Montreal in collaboration with the Panzi Foundation, Lawyers Without Borders Canada and Global Strategies. It supports the activities of the Foundation and Panzi Hospital. Based on the vision of Dr. Denis Mukwege and the contribution of the University of Montreal, the project will strengthen the services offered to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and the capacities of the Panzi Foundation in four health zones in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, and in three provinces of Burundi.

The three main components of the project are improving the delivery and management of health services, improving the socio-cultural, financial and geographical accessibility of health services, and promoting research-based health care policies, legal frameworks and services. The project involves several faculties at the University of Montreal and includes a cross-cutting operational research component. The Tumaini project receives financial support from Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada.