[ <(From the right) HUMAN IN LOVE Burundi Branch Seong Hae-shin, Renova in charge of managing the Burundi Branch and HUMAN IN LOVE staff Stanley> ]
Greetings from Burundi! This is Seong Hae-shin who has been designated as the successor to Mr. Jun-kwon Park of HUMAN IN LOVE Burundi Branch.
When I first told my parents and friends that I am heading to Burundi, most of them tried to dissuade me. As you all know, Burundi has gone through a chaotic period after the coup against the third consecutive term of President Pierre Nkurunziza. Due to small and big battles caused by unseen tension between the ruling and opposition parties and groundless rumors, a number of people have become refugees.
Last time when I visited Rwanda for a business trip, I met an old Belgian man near the Rwandan border. According to the old man, Burundi was literally a paradise when he first arrived there in his teens. However, the old man lamented that the once beautiful and peaceful Burundi has been in decay since that time due to numerous civil wars and corruption of high-level officials, and because of the power struggle, many Burundians have been damaged.
I’ve never experienced the peaceful Burundi, but I believe the pure and innocent minds of the Burundians called me to this country. It is true that I was shocked when I witnessed the poor facilities and infrastructure of Bujumbura, the capital city of Burundi, during my trip from the airport to the Burundi Branch office, but as I am living here, I came to believe that there’s no big difference living in Burundi compared to other places.
Of course, Burundi still needs help from many people. Whenever I face six-to-seven-year-old children who beg for money or those who say that NGOs can earn money because they are poor, I always wonder how the lives of these people would have been if capitalism were not introduced to them during colonization. I hope peace can come in Burundi as soon as possible.
Almost a month has passed since I came to Burundi. I have been very busy adapting to my new workplace and environment. From now on, I will introduce activities of HUMAN IN LOVE Burundi Branch and Rwanda Branch via this weblog. I ask for your interest and support for the Burundian people and children.
Greetings to the HUMAN IN LOVE family! This is Stanley, the new staff of HUMAN IN LOVE Burundi Branch. I’m 36 years old and a husband to Agator and father to my daughter Salley. I am very happy to work for HUMAN IN LOVE since I was always interested in HUMAN IN LOVE activities in Burundi, and because the activities conformed to my ambition and dream. I hope Burundians can change through education, and by sharing knowledge and experience, I hope even the spirit and soul of our people can change. I will send my greetings once in a while by sharing news from Burundi. Thank you.
Last but not least, Kko-kko has also become our family several days ago.
Kko-kko makes us laugh despite harsh and tough situations in Burundi.
HUMAN IN LOVE Burundi Branch asks for your kind interest and support!
