A.LU.MA Burundi is an association initially actif in the fight against Malaria. Their care center is located in Kamenge (Bujumbura) and the anti-malaria project lasted from April 2004 until 30 April 2017.

In 2017 a large increase in drug users was noted, it became especially very present and visible in poor suburbs like Kamenge. The political crisis of 2015, harmed above all young adults, by increasing their rate of unemployment, reviving certain traumas from previous civil wars and being manipulated by politicians for their agendas. 

As the Anti Malaria project was getting to it’s end in 2017, A.LU.MA  felt like helping the public administration to tackle this new phenomenon. The former Anti Malaria Center became a PsychoSocial center, where people can find counseling and therapy for free. The activities started in 2019 and have had a positive impact until now but it is still insufficient. Too many patients fall into relapse after a short amount of time.

To really recover they need to be cut off from their environment, living in a community made of professionals and locals helping them through their process and being trained to (re)enter the work market once they fully recover. 

A.LU.MA wishes to create these conditions by building a rehabilitation center, on a plot in Cankuzo (northern Burundi) donated by the Government of Burundi for its good work.

Community space and intimacy

The centre, located in an agricultural field on the Kamuna hill, will offer the ideal environment for the rehabilitation process. Thanks to the peaceful surroundings, the medical and psychological follow-up, the different activities offered and its architecture, residents will emerge from the space feeling both restored and resilient.

One of the challenges of the project, which is essential for the purpose of rehabilitation, is to recreate a sense of community among its residents. At the same time, it is important to offer them an intimate space in which each one can find their personal space. For these reasons, the project is developed around two courtyards. The first one is dedicated to group activities and medical care, while the second accommodates the bedrooms and dormitories. Internal subdivisions into sleeping compartments ensure privacy in the dormitories.

Sustainable construction, training, and protection of the environnement 

Due to the choice of materials and construction methods, the architectural project will model both sustainable and affordable design to the residents, as well as the surrounding rural community. 

The centre will provide workshops in clay construction and carpentry, in order to offer training in sustainable building and to allow the residents to maintain the building themselves. In addition to this training, the agricultural work will supply most of the food for the centre. The surplus will be sold in the shops along the road and will also serve to increase awareness of the centre.

In this way, we aim to support excluded women and men by offering them the opportunity to train and work in sustainable construction and environmental restoration.

Itinérances is an architectural collective mainly interested in the themes of sustainability, self-building, micro-architecture and informal structures. In its work, it prioritises the use of local resources and participation in the project’s construction of. It brings together two architects and an architect-carpenter: Camille Brachet, Anita Fabbiano and Julien Donzé, who met at the Polytechnic School of Lausanne and have since been working in different European regions.

Thierry Kwizera was born in Burundi and spent his childhood between Bonn (Germany) and his native country, thus developing a strong link with both cultures. He has been living in Europe since 2011 for his studies and is currently working at Joliba e.V (Berlin) as an intercultural social worker.

Albert Mbonerane, Burundian ambassador to Germany (1993-1997), Minister of Environment (2002-2005), he created two associations in 2005, one named ACVE (Action ceinture verte pour l'environnement) working in the protection of the environment and rehabilitation of green spaces, and also the association A.LU.MA Burundi which worked until 2017 in the fight against Malaria in Bujumbura.

Nervé Ndayizeye, a native of Kamuna, Cankuzo,  is a civil engineer graduated from Ntare Rushatsi University in Bujumbura.

Rocky is a Burundian blogger living in Bujumbura. He is employed at Yaga, a Burundian media company . He has written articles and directed videos showing the impact of "Boost", the new drug that is ravaging part of Bujumbura's youth.

Viviane Yizire graduated in psychology in the University of Lyon III (France). She  works at the A.LU.MA Psychosocial Centre in Bujumbura, where she is developing a project to raise awareness among families whose members suffer from psychological disorders or use illicit substances.

Itinérances first met the other members of the team in 2012 during a trip to Burundi. They then kept in touch and combined their different fields of knowledge to develop the project. 

Currently five psychologists, two general practitioners, one coordinator, two social workers work permanently at the Psycho Social care centre. Patients voluntarily decide to follow this program.

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