Full name: Republic of Burundi Population: 8.7 million (C.I.A. World Factbook) (July 2008 est.) Capital: Bujumbura Area: 27,830 sq. km (10,745 sq. miles) Major languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili Major religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs, Islam Life expectancy at birth: 51 years (men), 53 years (women) (C.I.A. World Factbook) Monetary unit: Burundi franc Main exports: coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides
Burundi is a small country in the heart of equatorial Africa. Formerly a part of the Belgian Congo, it is now a democratic republic. The primary tribal groups in Burundi are the Hutu and Tutsi people. For centuries the Tutsi minority ruled over the Hutu majority. In the 1990’s the Hutu majority successfully completed a revolution and established a democratic government with a Hutu majority government. This was a part of the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi people that is ongoing in Rwanda, on the northern border of Burundi. With the scenic and famous Lake Tanganyika to the west, Burundi is a staggeringly beautiful country that is desperately poor after generations of colonial rule and civil war. Adoptions from Burundi represent a unique opportunity for adoptive parents. As a signatory to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, Burundi will follow the highest ethical standards for your adoption. By helping the children of Burundi, you are helping an emerging democracy with tremendous need. Torn by war, revolution, poverty, malaria, and HIV/AIDS, but having become a free society, it is a rare combination of a country with many orphaned and abandoned children and dedication to the highest adoption standards.
Adoptions from Burundi to the U.S. (U.S. State Department)
