CERF support helps displaced families in Burundi rebuild after devastating floods

When relentless El Niño‑induced rains flooded Burundi's Gatumba in 2023–2024, thousands of families lost their homes, including 39‑year‑old mother of ten, Jeanine Ndabazaniye.

“We had no place to sleep,” she recalls.

Nearly 300,000 people across Burundi were affected as rising waters from Lake Tanganyika destroyed homes and crops and forced more than 100,000 people to flee.

Today, Jeanine and other formerly displaced families are rebuilding their lives inGateri, a new village where UNHCR, with support from the OCHA-managed UN Global Emergency Fund (CERF), has constructed 250 semi‑durable shelters. CERF allocated US$ 2.5 million for immediate lifesaving assistance after the floods and an additional US$ 5 million to support the multi-sector resettlement effort. The Burundi Red Cross added 80 more shelters, and families are now upgrading them into permanent homes.

“We are very happy. You took us out of our flooded houses and brought us here,” says Jeanine.

For many, stability has finally returned. “Thanks to the Government and other organizations, we were relocated here,” says Uwimana Jacqueline, who once slept outdoors after losing everything.

With support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), residents have established household and communal gardens, helping families grow vegetables and strengthen food security. Young father Mbonigaruye Clinton says the tools and seeds provided “enabled us to improve our livelihoods.”

Cash assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP) has further helped households regain independence by starting small businesses and meeting daily needs.

A new health centre – built with CERF funding and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) – now provides essential medical services linked to the national health system. “Our difficulties were reduced,” says Ndasiyenga Francine, a mother of five who now receives care free of charge.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women are also offering reproductive health and gender‑based violence (GBV) protection services through the Remesha Centre, giving women a place to seek help and information, thanks to CERF support. “Many hearts were relieved,” says Izompa Emelyne, reflecting on the centre’s impact.

Safe drinking water now flows into Gateri through a pipe network installed by UNICEF, ending months of hardship when residents relied on the nearby Rusizi River. New latrines complete the WASH infrastructure.

More than 6,000 people now live in Gateri, a number expected to rise to 10,000 as new families settle. The village is designed to foster autonomy and long‑term resilience. “This is not a site for continuous humanitarian aid,” stresses Violet Kenyana Kakyomya, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Burundi. “It is an integrated village where residents become self‑reliant.”

As extreme weather events intensify due to climate change, CERF’s Climate Account continues to enable rapid, life‑saving support – helping families like Jeanine’s regain stability, dignity, and hope.

You can contribute to the account by donatingHERE.

You can read the full story of the multi-sector support provided by CERF here: https://unocha.exposure.co/families-reclaim-their-lives-in-burundi