Meet our IBJ Youth Initiative in Burundi!

In the heart of Africa, young visionaries from Burundi are launching innovative projects to transform the lives of incarcerated youth.

Anne-Bella Irakoze

“Synergy of Skills for the Protection of Children in Conflict with the Law,” 2023

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Faith Buntu

“Empowering Incarcerated Minors through Psychosocial Reintegration," 2023

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Salvator Abumuremyi

“Counsel and Legal Aid in Burundi,” 2020/2023

ABOUT THE PROJECT
Michel Archange Irakoze, Burundi

Michel Archange Irakoze

“Counsel and Legal Aid in Burundi,” 2020/2023

ABOUT THE PROJECT
Judith Tumaini, Burundi

Judith Tumaini

“Counsel and Legal Aid in Burundi,” 2020/2023

ABOUT THE PROJECT
Marcelline Witonze, Burundi

Marcelline Witonze

“Counsel and Legal Aid in Burundi,” 2020/2023

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Anne-Bella Irakoze

Burundi, 2023

Youth Justice Charter Article 1.

Anne-Bella, a 22-year-old student and journalist, has crafted a novel approach to tackle the problem of children in prison in Burundi. The project involves 3 key actors visiting the prisons with incarcerated children – a family member, a lawyer, and a journalist. By having family members actively involved, the project ensures the emotional support these children need. The inclusion of lawyers guarantees prompt and effective legal assistance, providing the children with a fighting chance for justice. Finally, journalists play a crucial role by bringing these stories into the public domain and creating awareness. Together, these three pillars form the basis of Anne-Bella’s innovative approach to protecting and empowering Burundi’s imprisoned children. Through this synergy of roles, the initiative expects to provide at least 15 children with crucial legal aid. Anticipated outcomes include a substantial improvement in 50% of these cases and the eventual liberation of at least 7 children.

Faith Buntu

Burundi, 2023

Youth Justice Charter Articles 8 and 10.

Burundi’s population is heavily skewed towards youth. This is why Faith feels encouraged to support them. With her project, 10 incarcerated minors will benefit from psychosocial care and 5 incarcerated minors will be able to see their parents once a month. Additionally, 10 minors will acquire professional skills or receive education in trades, like sewing, enabling them to reintegrate into society and the economy. Faith’s project specifically addresses Articles 8 and 10 of the Youth Charter, providing children in prison with access to family, psychological and social resources, and support upon release. She hopes to work with members of the target children’s home churches in this project, and form partnerships with local psychologists and religious leaders to ensure that children get access to these services.

Salvator Abumuremyi​

Burundi, 2020/2023

Youth Justice Charter Article 1, 5 and 10.

Salvator’s project intends to create a register with all the relevant information on incarcerated minors (age, sex, regions of origin, etc.). It also intends to examine the reasons for the imprisonment of these young people, the way they are treated, whether they are sufficiently protected by the institutions, and to set up a follow-up to identify cases of recidivism and try to understand them. He will provide monthly reports and advocates for substantial reforms with his empirical data and on-the-ground stories in churches, universities, judicial help and civil society groups, and intends to share his findings on relevant websites and news sources.

Michel Archange Irakoze​

Burundi, 2020/2023

Youth Justice Charter Article 1, 5 and 10.

Michel’s project proposes to host a series of workshops, seminaries, and conferences to raise awareness about access to justice and the rights of minors in Burundi’s legal system.

Judith Tumaini

Burundi, 2020/2023

Youth Justice Charter Article 1, 5 and 10.
Judith is a third-year law student in the University of Burundi, where she enrolled after being the only girl in her high school. Her project is to create an association of lawyers called Programme d’Initiatives pour l’amélioration de l’accès aux mineurs incarcérés à la justice au Burundi (Program of Initiatives for the Improvement of Access to Justice for Incarcerated Minors in Burundi). It hopes to improve legal assistance and support for minors in general, particularly those who are incarcerated or reincarcerated. It intends to disseminate this association in as many schools as possible, and to encourage the use of alternative measures (community service, suspended sentences) to incarceration for juvenile primary offenders to enable young people in conflict with the law to enjoy other rights, in particular the right to education.

Marcelline Witonze

Burundi, 2020/2023

Youth Justice Charter Article 1, 5 and 10.

Marcelline is a third-year law student in the University of Burundi. Marcelline’s project proposes to organize awareness campaigns in her own community in the north of the country. She intends to set up conferences in the communal high school, and to create a school club to defend the rights of detained minors. She details certain types of activities carried out by the club thus formed, such as the organization of a show in which sketches related to juvenile justice will be performed, a visit to the Kabarore judicial police to analyze the conditions of detention of minors, or the organization of a game contest.