The recent upsurge of conflict and violence in South Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, put thousands of populations on the way to seeking refuge in the neighbouring Burundi. In such massive displacements in precarious conditions and in absence of basic psychosocial and health services, the most vulnerable, including children, suffer the most.
At the beginning of escalation of the conflict, early 2025, over 80,000 people have entered Burundi, and number increased as the insecurity continued to take more proportion, more than half of whom are children. Women and children, as well as persons with disabilities, are exposed to an increased risk of physical and sexual violence and face greater barriers in accessing shelter, medical support, food, and other forms of assistance.
Children may arrive unaccompanied or become separated from their families, and they face a high risk of heightened violence.
Since early December 2025, Save the Children International has been implementing child protection programmes in different refugees and asylum seekers in Burundi.
One of such programmes, being implemented in partnership with UNICEF, “Improving the safety, protection, and well-being of Congolese refugee children in Busuma through strengthened child protection case management, including for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC)” ensures that children survivors of violence and abuse have access to mental and psychosocial support and are placed in safe foster families for their best interests.
Over the first quarter of 2026, up to 632 (362F, 321M) unaccompanied and separated children between 12 and 17 years of age have been identified as being at high risk of violence, 25 survivors of gender-based violence and 7 children with disabilities in three zones of the project operations within the Busuma camp. Among them, up to 383 (210M, 173M) children have been placed in the temporary foster families for their protection and safety.
Education heals survivors and enlightens foster families
Monthly meetings bring together children to assess the level of satisfaction with care in foster families as well as the quality of protection services they receive from providers. Children still raise alarm of cases of their peers who are subject to exploitation but fail to report incidents due to lack of information about safe listening spaces or trusted persons around them.
On the other side, regular community awareness raising sessions contribute to strengthening community knowledge and mobilise families around child protection. They have also helped to improve early detection of violence cases, reduce the stigmatisation of survivors and promote a protective environment for children living on the camp.
A specific training for Foster Families (couples) and Community Volunteers on Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) helped understand the issues related to the PSEA and recognise their role in preventing children abuse. Participants renewed their commitments to adopting attitudes that promote protection and well-being of children under their care and in their respective communities.
As part of stressing the role for foster families in restoring emotional and psychosocial stability of children survivors of violence, host families received induction sessions on positive parenting to strengthen their capacity to offer a safe and a conducive environment for children to express their needs in full freedom. The thirty couples participating in sessions discovered aspects of respect, active listening, encouragement, and non-violent support, and discussed how they apply on their social and cultural contexts for the best of children.
Busuma is the biggest camp in Burundi with over 65,000 refugees, in need of urgent lifesaving assistance, due to exposure from heavy rains, food shortages, inadequate water and sanitation, limited healthcare capacity and supplies and child protection services, and lack of classrooms, among others.
