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Help Burundi’s youth prepare for the future

Considered one of the most disadvantaged and poorest nations in the world, the young people of Burundi face multiple challenges, including access to quality education and climate driven disasters.

Many young people drop out of school as family expectations and responsibilities weigh heavily on them. Teenage boys may be pressured to provide food for their family, while girls are expected to carry the domestic burden.

In fact, less than one in ten girls complete high school and one in five girls aged 15-24 years are considered illiterate.

A strong education equips young people with the skills they need to find employment and support the community. ​That’s why UNICEF Australia is working in partnership with FINCH to deliver Creatable, a program that teaches creativity, innovation and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as a means of solving practical real-world problems to high school students.

The STEM program changing lives in Burundi

Help Burundi’s youth prepare for the future

By donating today, you can empower young people to learn STEM so they can solve practical real-world problems directly affecting them.

From flooding and landslides to water scarcity, Burundi is feeling the effects of climate change. Climate shocks affect food availability and quality. Almost half of Burundian households are food insecure and one of two children under the age of five is chronically malnourished. Climate projections anticipate a worsening of this nutritional situation in some regions of Burundi.

Creatable Burundi supports students to gain invaluable future skills and use STEM to solve real world problems, including the increasing impacts of climate change on their communities. It builds content knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, but it also builds the skills of the future.

Entrepreneurial thinking

Evaluative practice

Problem solving

Curiosity and imagination

Students in Burundi from the Creatable program attend to a vertical garden. Creatable is a STEM program that teaches students how to solve real-world problems.
A student tends to a vertical farm he learnt to build during the Creatable project. Innovative agriculture projects like these are responding to the challenges of limited space and access to water for sustainable farming.
© UNICEF Burundi/2022

10 schools

Across ten schools, 636 girls and 424 boys in Grade 8 have been reached with Creatable program since 2020.

97%

of students who have participated in the Creatable program feel more confident to apply learning in STEM to solve real life problems.

"Burundi’s youthful population is its greatest asset. Inspiring, upskilling and empowering these young people – particularly in STEM – will be key to the country’s future success."

Tony Stuart
CEO UNICEF Australia
Burundi students in a classroom learning STEM as part of the Creatable program
Students participating in a Creatable theory session not only learn how to build innovative products but are also coached in new problem-solving skills. Students can apply these problem-solving skills to any challenge they face, which helps to set them up for success.
© UNICEF Burundi/2022

How will my donation help young people in Burundi?

Because UNICEF is 100 per cent donor funded, our ability to provide long-term development programs like Creatable to young people in need fully depends on the generosity and commitment of donors, like you. We will combine your donation with funding from the Australian Government’s ANCP to reach even more young people.

$83 can provide learning materials on innovative agriculture for 20 students

$182 can provide a student in Burundi with education in creative problem solving

$258 can contribute to seed funding for a student to launch their entrepreneurial business idea

$1

    How do we use each dollar donated?

  • 82¢
    last year, 82 cents went directly to program expenditure and community education, including long-term development and emergency response work.
  • 13¢
    last year, 13 cents covered the essential costs of raising public awareness and fundraising to generate more support for UNICEF’s work.
  • 5¢
    last year, 5 cents were spent on UNICEF Australia’s accountability and administration.
Students in Burundi working together as part of the Creatable program that teaches STEM to solve real-world problems.
© UNICEF/EVRA9999/Ngendakumana

Help Burundi’s youth prepare for the future

Donate today to empower young people to learn STEM so they can solve practical real-world problems directly affecting them.