NEWSLETTER: Collaboration and Productivity in Agriculture and Livestock Development

After Giving Tuesday and up to Christmas, this is the gift-giving time of the year and we must remind our readers that we need donations to keep doing what we do and to do more of what we do. As we hope you know, all of your donations are invested directly into development for poor women and their families in Burundi; one of the poorest countries in the world. The development is achieved by providing one-time, start-up project grants to small self-help project associations that engage in income-generating crop cultivation, animal husbandry and microfinancing.

Beneficiaries at Our New Project at Ngozi Province
New Beneficiaries Watering Cabbages; Our First Project in Ngozi

Every development project is designed to become self-supporting, self-managing, self-governing and self-sustaining. Our projects are successful and long-lasting; the projects develop self-esteem, alleviate poverty and improve the lives of the women and their family members. Accordingly, we consider your donations to be direct investments in development that benefit the association members and their families.

If you have already donated to the US-based Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund this year, thank you very much. If have not donated, please consider making a donation before the end of the year. As you will see in our donations section above, we have added special instructions for Qualified Charitable IRA Rollover donations (see Donations – Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund).

Collaboration with the University and the Church 

Hope Africa University and the Free Methodist Church of Burundi are supporting and collaborating with the Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund more than ever before. Accordingly, there are many important collaborative advancements taking place on agriculture and livestock development.

Rector Servilien NITUNGA
Executive Secretary, Evariste BIMENYIMANA

With the Rector’s support, the HMODF identified and secured nearby land for practical crop cultivation training for the current Agriculture and Zootechny Program Internship Students.

Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Market Gardening and Fruit Service: Promotion of Fruits and Vegetables

With the Rector’s support, Dr. John McCready of the HMODF recruited Foundations for Farming to provide the first high-production practical crop cultivation training and supervised practice for the Internship Students.

Foundations for Farmining’s Tall and Healthy Corn Plants

In collaboration with the University and the Church, Dr. John McCready established and facilitated the first two meetings of the new Agriculture and Zootechny Program Improvement Committee (AZPIC); a collaborative initiative to improve the entire Agriculture and Zootechny Program.

Agriculture and Zootechny Improvement Committee Meeting

With the Rector’s support and in collaboration with the Church, Dr. John McCready prepared and distributed an AZPIC Action Plan for the Continuing Internship (November and December); community agriculture crop cultivation training and connecting the students with the Church, the HMODF and other organizations’ agriculture and livestock development projects and project personnel in their home areas.

Agriculture and Zootechny Program Improvement Committee

 ACTION PLAN

At the request of the Rector and in collaboration with the Church, the HMODF developed an agriculture and livestock development project at both of the University’s Research and Development Centres; Buringa and Rakaramu.

  • Cultivating Corn and Soybeans and Breeding Pigs for Vulnerable Women from Buringa Colline, Gihanga Commune in Bubanza Province – Project Manager: Epithace NDUWAYO
  • Growing Rice and Breeding Pigs for Vulnerable Women in Rukaramu Hill, Mutimbuzi Commune, Bujumbura Province – Project Managers: Sadi BIGIRIMANA and Euphraim NDIKUMWENAYO

Working with Cyprien NTUNZWENIMANA, Head of the Agriculture and Zootechny Program (AZP) and selected AZP students, the first three onsite Extended Community Planting training practical crop cultivation training sessions for beneficiaries took place; one at a HMODF project in Gasenyi and two near the University’s Research and Development Centre at Buringa.

Students and Beneficiaries; First Onsite Planting Training at Gasenyi
Students and Beneficiaries; Onsite Planting Training at Buringa

Productive Agriculture and Livestock Development 

The core business for the Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund is to provide one-time, start-up grants to associations of poor women who become self-supporting from agriculture and livestock development projects that generate income from crop cultivation, animal husbandry and microfinancing. For a small agriculture and livestock development fund, we have been exceedingly productive. From data collected from our projects and compiled by our Program Coordinator; Rev. Dieudonne IRAMBONA, we have accumulated an impressive record since we started in 2010 (see the detailed table at the end of this Newsletter).

Rev. Dieudonné IRAMBONA, Program Coordinator

Fifteen Very Productive Years of Development

  • Our first two projects received a one-time, start-up grant in 2011
  • Now we have 39 agriculture and livestock development projects 
  • Of our 39 projects, 23 are 5 or more years old and 14 are 10 or more years old
  • We have 16 Project Managers; all of whom are graduates of Hope Africa University
  • We have 468 project beneficiaries; almost all poor and vulnerable women 
  • Our projects benefit the beneficiaries’ family members, estimated to be 2,808
  • Our projects already have 1,136 animals; almost all goats and pigs 
  • Our projects have already sold 736 animals for income-generation purposes 
  • We have projects in 10 provinces, 19 communes and 27 collines 

Including our Canadian Fund, we have a total of 63 projects, 681 beneficiaries, 4,086 family members, 1,217 animals (goats and pigs) and 745 animals sold. 

 

To help us do more and do better, please consider donating to the Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund. You can be sure that we will invest your donations in self-supporting agriculture and livestock development projects for poor Burundian women and their family members; visit Donations – Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund that now includes some new instructions on Qualified Charitable IRA Rollover donations. 

HALEY McCREADY OUTREACH AND DEVELOPMENT FUND ACTIVE/DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
Beneficiaries and Animals, November 2025
No Project
Managers’ Names
Province Commune Colline/
Location
No. of Beneficiaries Type of
Animals
Total No.
Sold
1 Audace MPAWENIMANA 1 Mairie Ntahangwa Buterere I 19
2 Audace MPAWENIMANA 2 Cibitoke Mugina Butaramuka 10 Pigs
3 Barthelemy MINANI 1 Rutana Giharo Muzye 8 Pigs 9
4 Barthelemy MINANI 2 Bujumbura Mutimbuzi Nyabunyegeri 25 Goats 47        28
5 Barthelemy MINANI 3 Bujumbura Mutimbuzi Rubirizi 12 Goats 32        22
Pigs 2
6 Barthelemy MINANI 4 Rutana Giharo Nyembuye 8 Goats 4
7 Celestin MUTONI Cibitoke Murwi Mushanga 8 Pigs 2
8 Désiré NSENGIYUMVA 1 Bujumbura Nyabiraba Matara 7 Sheep 14         5
Goats 40        33
9 Désiré NSENGIYUMVA 2 Bujumbura Nyabiraba Kizunga 12 Pigs 59        31
Cow 1         –
10 Désiré NSENGIYUMVA 3 Bujumbura Nyabiraba Kizunga 8 Goats 2         –
11 Désiré NSENGIYUMVA 4 Bujumbura Mukike Rukina 8 Goats 1         –
12 Désiré NSENGIYUMVA 5 Bujumbura Mutimbuzi Nyabunyegeri 8 Pigs 1  –
13 Désiré NSENGIYUMVA 6 Mairie Ntahangwa Mugaruro/BTRE 8 Pigs 14
14 Dieudonné IRAMBONA 1 Kayanza Kayanza Mihigo 1 14 Goats 45        18
15 Dieudonné IRAMBONA 2 Bubanza Bubanza Shari 10 Pigs
16 Dieudonné IRAMBONA 3 Kayanza Kayanza Mihigo 2 8 Pigs 1  –
17 Epithace NDUWAYO 1 Bubanza Mpanda Musenyi 13 Pigs 1          1
Goats 18        11
18 Epithace NDUWAYO 2 Bujumbura Mutimbuzi Gasenyi 1 7 Pigs 22          6
19 Epithace NDUWAYO 3 Bubanza Mpanda Gifurwe/Musenyi 7 Pigs 0          1
20 Epithace NDUWAYO 4 Bujumbura Mutimbuzi Gasenyi 2 8 Pigs 1  –
21 Ernest MANIRAKIZA Bujumbura Ntahangwa Q. Gikizi 21         –
22 Euphraim NDIKUMWENAYO Rumonge Bugarama Gishirwe 10 Pigs         –
23 Evelyne KANYANA Karusi Buhiga Kigoma 22 Goats 2         5
24 Jacques NIMPAGARITSE Gitega Nyarusange Gasenyi 10 Goats 9
25 John NDIZEYE Bujumbura Mutimbuzi Gasenyi 10 Goats 4
26 Juvenal HAVYARIMANA Bujumbura Nyabiraba Raro 12 Pigs 97        81
27 Kilongo BANYIKWA Mairie Ntahangwa Buterere II 2       –         –
28 Liliane BUTOYI Mwaro Kayokwe Gitunga 8  Pigs 15         –
29 Prosper NIYONGERE 1 Gitega Bukirasazi Kinyonza 13 Goats 48        33
30 Viola NSHEMEZIMANA 1 Bujumbura Mutimbuzi Rubirizi 4 Goats 17        10
31 Viola NSHEMEZIMANA 2 Bubanza Rugazi Muzinda 8 Goats 6         –
Pigs 4         –
32 Isale
Four Associations
Bujumbura Isale Benga et Gishingano 65 Goats 172        75
Pigs 99        81
33 Kabezi
Four Associations
Bujumbura Kabezi Gaseru 75 Goats 304      270
Pigs 43        25
TOTAL 10 19 27 468 1136    736