Onward to Burundi!

Monday June 27

I write this from the comfort of the Hampton Inn Dulles near D.C., wondering what the next two weeks have in store for us. We're going to Burundi. That's in Africa :) I know it's going to be exciting, interesting, eye-opening, shocking, and (I'm told) life-changing. But it's one thing to imagine what it'll be like, to have read about it and even to have talked to those who've been there or who grew up there. I'm sure it'll be another thing entirely to actually go there, to travel about this African nation, to meet the varied people and experience their culture, their food and customs, and to see how they live and the difficulties and conditons they face every day. We're all very excited and hopeful that we'll be able to make a difference while we're there, and to spread awareness of the country and it's people, and the work the Gazelle Foundation is doing there.

You see, I'm a runner, six years and counting now. In 2007 I joined a local Austin training group and met two men I'm proud to call my friends, Gilbert Tuhabonye, and his cousin Bernard , both natives of Burundi. Gilbert's story is amazing and inspiring, he wrote a book about it. He's also one of the most humble, compassionate, patient, and welcoming people I've ever met.

If you're like many of the folks (outside of Gilbert's Gazelles) that I've talked to recently, you're thinking, where's Burundi? Who lives there? Burundi is an equatorial African nation about the size of Maryland, bordered by Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Congo. It's hilly and mountainous with a moderate climate. It's also the third poorest nation in the world, with 80% of it's 10 million people living at the poverty level or below. Unemployment is widespread. Most people (89%) live in rural areas and only half the children can attend school. Civil wars and unrest have racked the nation over the last several decades, but recent stability and peace between the factions have helped the situation.

In 2006 a group of Austin runners formed the Gazelle Foundation, a non-profit that funds and builds clean water projects in Burundi. Since that time they've completed several water projects and provided clean drinking water to thousands of people who previously had none or had to walk significant distances to get clean water. It is on behalf of the Gazelle Foundation that our Work for the Water group of approx. 15 is traveling to Burundi this summer. You can read all about it at http://workforthewater.com/ and http://www.gazellefoundation.com/

Today our band of merry travelers is independently making their way here to Washington D.C., and tomorrow we all set out together on Ethiopian Airlines towards Burundi via Addis Ababa and Rwanda. God willing we'll all get to Bujumbura (the capital of Burundi) safe and sound (and perhaps a little stiff and sleepy) Wednesday afternoon. And then the real adventure will begin!

Dan