Maggy won  The Guardian Achievement in International Development Award, 2009.

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Threatened and beaten  by a genocidal mob, Maggy Barankitse managed to rescue 32 children and, with help from ActionAid, keep them safe throughtout the civil war. Since that fateful day in 1993, she has brought her message of peace to more than 10,000 orphans.

Perched in the mountains in the heart of Burundi is the town of Ruyigi. It is different to many of the country’s other towns, in that it has paved roads, a hospital, a bank and several ‘villages’ of small, neat houses that are home to thousands of orphans.

The whole town smells of wood smoke and has an air of calmness. All of this can be pretty much attributed to one woman: Maggy Barankitse. Maggy has single-handedly influenced thousands of people in this area, bringing her message of peace and reconciliation to 10,000 orphans over the last 14 years.

Maison Shalom

ActionAid helped Maggy set up her project, Maison Shalom (house of peace) in 1994, and we have worked closely with her ever since.

Over time, the project has branched out in several ways – farms have been established to provide food for the children, a centre set up showing films such as Gandhi and documentaries on Martin Luther King, training provided for ex-combatants in mechanics or computer literacy, and a crèche provided so that older children can go to school while the younger ones are looked after.

Each one of these projects also provides vital jobs and income for some older orphans.

A new future

“My dream is to create a new Burundi that is free from violence,” says Maggy. “I want to create a new generation that has the light to put out the darkness we have all seen too much of. I tell the children constantly,‘remember that you are the fruit of love. There is no Hutu, no Tutsi, we are all the same'. I know I myself can never stop the war, but I can stop it in my heart, and I canstop it in the hearts of these children.”

It is only through the generosity of our donors and child sponsors that ActionAid was able to help create Maison Shalom. Please donate today.