
Burundi 2020 © Richard MALIKONGE
Burundi
Responding to major outbreaks of malaria and cholera while continuing to offer high-quality care for victims of trauma in the capital Bujumbura.
Our work in Burundi
In Burundi, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) supported the provision of trauma and emergency care while continuing to fight malaria, cholera and neglected diseases.

What's happening in Burundi?
In 2021, we completed the handover of our activities at L'Arche de Kigobe, a private trauma center in Bujumbura that we had been managing since 2015, and switched our focus to supporting Prince Regent Charles Hospital, a large public health facility in the city, to treat patients with severe and moderate trauma. As well as training medical teams, we donated medical supplies, carried out rehabilitation work and offered financial assistance.
This support came into play when armed clashes broke out across the city in May, September and December, and our staff helped to provide emergency care to the large influxes of patients wounded in grenade attacks at the hospital.

How we're helping in Burundi
In November, when several suspected cases of cholera were reported in Cibitoke province, we sent a team to support the local cholera treatment center that we had set up two years earlier. A few weeks later, a massive fire destroyed large parts of Gitega’s central prison and our teams helped Gitega’s general hospital to provide emergency care for survivors, many of whom had severe burns.
Since late 2019, we have been seeing large numbers of patients with a disease causing lower-limb ulcers in Muyinga province. We are working to improve early detection and care in health centers and at community level, while also pursuing medical research to better understand the nature, causes and transmission mode of this neglected tropical disease.
One of our main focuses in Burundi is tackling malaria, the leading cause of death in the country. In addition to providing treatment, we collaborate with the health authorities to implement measures to reduce the incidence of the disease. In Kinyinya and Ryansoro districts, we supported malaria care in health facilities and conducted anti-mosquito indoor residual spraying campaigns. Close to 100,000 households were treated during these campaigns, protecting half a million people for up to nine months.

How we're helping in 2021
43,000
Outpatient consultations
1,100
Surgical interventions
332
Staff in 2021 (full-time equivalent)
More news and stories
Learn about MSF’s journalistic roots and our commitment to bear witness and speak out about the plight of the people we treat.

News Apr 23, 2021
Pumps, bicycles, and satellites: How MSF is fighting malaria in Burund...
Read More
News Dec 15, 2020
MSF: Support needed for community-led HIV programs in West and Central...
Read MoreLearn about MSF’s journalistic roots and our commitment to bear witness and speak out about the plight of the people we treat.
How you can help
Not everyone can treat patients in the field. But everyone can do something.
Some humanitarian crises make the headlines—others don’t. Unrestricted support from our donors allows us to mobilize quickly and efficiently to provide lifesaving medical care to the people who need it most, whether those needs are in the spotlight or not. And your donation is 100 percent tax-deductible.