Our Origins
Flaming Chalice International was born following the 2015 political unrest in Burundi.
Rev. Fulgence Ndagijimana was serving in Burundi when his church was attacked in October 2015. He was kidnapped from the church office, taken to an unknown destination, and tortured until being saved by police. The next day, new charges were brought, and he was jailed.
Support from afar.
After tremendous pressure from Unitarians and Universalists around the world, Rev. Fulgence was released. He fled the country and found his way to Canada, where he was reunited with family.
It didn’t stop there.
When he left the country, some of Rev. Fulgence's church members left as well, fleeing for their safety. They’re currently living as refugees in different parts of the world, particularly in East Africa.
The journey continues.
From Canada, Rev. Fulgence works through FCI to organize support for refugees in order to help them pursue education, start small businesses, and receive emergency aid; he also has initiated community projects to benefit people in Burundi. In May 2018, FCI became a Registered Canadian Charity. It was approved as a US public charity in March 2021.