Young Entrepreneurs

In 2025, FCI plans to fund 10 small, income-generating projects which are proposed by youth cooperatives in the rural Ryansoro region of the central province of Gitega and in Rutana Burundi. The cooperatives will be submitting proposals to a panel of Unitiarians, local officials, and business professionals; they will be vetted in a competitive process. The program goals are to help the youth earn an income and encourage them to remain in their villages; there are no opportunities for them in the city and the cost of living is higher there.

Amount needed to fund each project: $1000

 Brilliant minds project

Flaming Chalice International is implementing a project that supports brilliant children from vulnerable families in 3 areas in Burundi; Rutana and Ryansoro districts and children around the country whose parents get in touch with us to support their children.

In 2024, when the project started, 115 children from 100 families were served in school fees, school supplies like uniforms, copy books, pens and other needed items.  For families whose children might drop out due to lack of food or other basic needs at home, they receive a grant for an income generating activity.  This will ensure that when the project ends in 3 years, parents can take over and support children with what they need. For the coming year, 2025, we plan to support another 100 children. Thank you for supporting this project.  Each child is supported with $250 over a 3-year period. 

Amount needed: $25000

University Students project

CI has been able to offer ten to fifteen academic scholarships to Unitarian students in Burundi and Burundian refugees in Rwanda each year.  The scholarship program began in 2012 in Burundi, and expanded to refugees in Rwanda in 2016 when political unrest forced them to flee. Most of the scholarships are for university students; we have been able to fill some requests for help with high school and elementary school tuition in Burundi when funds are available.  There are always more requests than we can satisfy.

During the 2024 academic year, 3 students in Burundi and two in Rwanda are receiving scholarships to further their education at a university. FCI is supporting 115 students in elementary and high school in Burundi.  These young people are brilliant and doing amazingly well in school. FCI supports them because they come from families without means to support them and risk to drop out of school. For the year 2025, the plan is to support 6 students going to University.

Annual cost of the University scholarship program:  $8000