Assejeba:
Restoring hope for the Batwa people of Burundi through advocacy, development and partnerships.
Who We Are
The Batwa alive now are the first generations of Batwa who are growing up without the knowledge and wisdom of the forest from our grandparents, a significant and dramatic cultural shift for an entire people group. After being dispelled from the forests, our ancestors settled on barren plots of land, establishing villages with elders and chiefs. We’ve maintained our skills as gifted artisans of pots made from earthen clay.
We are known for our exceptional pottery, and our dancing and singing: vibrant and spontaneous expressions of song and emotion. Our history is held collectively through oral tradition and storytelling, as many Batwa are unable to read and write. Our sense of time and being is also held communally, not individually.
What We Do
We support our people through land projects, National Identity cards, recognition through marriage certificates, food security, farming and skilled craftsmanship, biodiversity initiatives, healthcare support, and the building of homes and schools. We have worked to improve the lives of our Batwa communities:
• ID kits for 4,000 people • Access to health care • Nutrition & farming training • Enrolled first-time students • Leadership training for indigenous leaders • VICOBA small business training
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About Assejeba
Assejeba: Espoir Pour Les Jeunes Batwa (Hope for Batwa Youth) is the name of a group of indigenous leaders of the Batwa peoples living in Burundi, East Africa, founded in 2010 by Evariste Ndikumana. We work for the promotion of the rights of Batwa Indigenous (representing 2% of the population) in a number of areas: the right to our lands, to fair justice, to early childhood education, to the rights of citizenship including a National ID (National Identity Cards), to marriage, legal assistance, creation of income-generating activities (agriculture, livestock and trades), to protect ourselves from infectious disease, to engage in healthy activities and to the promotion of Batwa culture.
Changemaker Evariste Ndikumana and his team desire international and governmental recognition of both the indigenous identity of Batwa, and the room and right for them to be accepted in and contribute to society. We are proud to see Burundi become a more vibrant democracy as Batwa people receive legal recognition and can be represented and participate in political processes.
About Our Founder Evariste Ndikumana
Evariste Ndikumana has a long-held devotion and commitment to serving the Batwa indigenous people in Burundi. As an indigenous Batwa himself, he has been called on by his people as a grassroots leader, and has been recognized in formal leadership roles. Evariste was the second Batwa person ever in Burundi to complete university. He graduated with a law degree to advocate for his people, and has since served multiple terms in parliament.
In 2010, Evariste formed a Batwa-led nonprofit organization called ASSEJEBA, registered in Burundi, with the mission to restore hope through advocacy and practical development. Together with the ASSEJEBA team, he passionately works to secure rights for the Batwa while inspiring the next generation of leaders.
Hope • Empowerment • Dignity
Our Initiatives
The Three Villages Project: ID kits, housing, primary school education, farming education and the beginning of small business enterprise. We have a dream for these villages to be complete by January 2025. We believe that this will provide great stability and become the foundation of our other dreams like education and enterprise becoming reality. We need a living example of the Batwa people having their needs met in environments that honor their history and believe in their future. The villages are the perfect place to do that. We also believe that land is a source of security as well as expansion of our skills and capacity.
Ndava Good Hope Preschool: education for Batwa children; more 500 children have access to education. We give them uniforms, shoes, school supplies and tuition.
Legal assistance for unjustly imprisoned Batwa prisoners.
Our Partners
African Road
First Presbyterian Church of Bend
Valley Presbyterian Church, California
U.S. Embassy Burundi
Wesley United Methodist Church, Eugene, Oregon
The Dream City Church McAlester
Imago Dei Fund
Contact Us
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