Burundi

PSI/Burundi estimates that in 2015, its products and services helped avert 124,782 DALYs, including, by health area:

• 68,826 Malaria DALYs
• 35,182 HIV DALYs
• 20,774 FP DALYs

PSI/Burundi’s family planning programs also provided 48,047 couple-years of protection. 

HIV/AIDS

PSI/Burundi uses mass communication, mobile technologies and peer education to help improve access to condoms for all people. However, it uses specific strategies to target high-risk groups, including:

• Young people, aged 15 to 24: PSI/Burundi’s behavior change communication (BCC) interventions go beyond promoting consistent condom use, abstinence and mutual fidelity. BCC strategies also discourage relationships between older men and younger women (“cross-generational sex”) and encourage delayed sexual debuts. Since launching activities in Burundi, PSI has distributed more than 21 million Prudence® condoms and about 20 million Prudence Class® since it was launched in 2009.
• Military personnel: PSI/Burundi opened a voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) center within the Ministry of National Defense Headquarters in 2007 and added a mobile center in 2009. The center – called Akabanga®, which means confidentiality – staffs well-trained counselors, clinicians and lab technicians who provide high-quality services to soldiers, their families and the surrounding communities. Since 2014, Akabanga® centers were launched in four remaining military regions. Together, these VCT venues have tested more than 83,000 clients. Today, PSI/Burundi is engaged in supporting the 90-90-90 goals for HIV/AIDs by expanding its services to include testing, ARV treatment and monitoring of viral load suppression. As of now, the five sites provide care treatment for more than 500 people living with HIV and laboratory services.

Malaria

According to the Ministry of Health’s 2015 report, malaria represents more than 50% of the reasons for visits and 45% for hospitalizations in healthcare facilities in Burundi. Young children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable. Malaria is responsible for 50% of all deaths among children under five and more than half of deaths among pregnant women. PSI/Burundi helps empower parents to keep their families safe by using long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN). Since 2007, PSI has distributed about 7.5 million mosquito nets in Burundi.

PSI/Burundi succeeds by collaborating closely with the Ministry of Health to distribute free bed nets along with routine immunization services at public health centers.

Due to the malaria epidemic that was declared in early 2017, the project contributes to raising awareness for prevention on the diseases by focused BCC messages both at the health centers and communities in targeted epidemic districts.

Family Planning and Reproductive Health 

With Burundi’s current unmet need for family planning at 30% according to the EDSB-III 2017, PSI/Burundi contributes to the reduction of unmet need for family planning through expanding delivery of high quality family planning products and services by using innovative and integrated approaches.

PSI/Burundi is uniquely positioned to address the challenges in Burundi by offering the products, services and communications necessary to improve the reproductive health of women and young people through three pillars: product availability, service delivery and communication.

• Service delivery: To date, PSI/Burundi has a network of 60 private clinics. More than 100 health care providers have been trained in family planning technology, STI treatment, HIV counseling and testing and post abortion care. These private clinics provide access to quality care under a common brand known as Tunza. The network providers are obligated to deliver specified services per franchise standards.
• Product availability: PSI/Burundi facilitates the sale of Prudence Class® male condoms nationwide through social marketing. Additionally, oral contraceptives, injectables, IUDs, implants and Prudence Class® condoms are available in all 60 Tunza® social franchise private clinics.
• Communications: Through mass media (radio, TV, billboards), community mobilization agents (youth and existing associations) and technology-based messaging (SMS), PSI/Burundi educates the community on sexual reproductive health and rights, malaria, STIs and HIV. PSI/Burundi supports Population Media Center (PMC)’s radio drama series ‘Agashi’, which covers subjects including family planning, nutrition and gender-based violence. PSI/Burundi also conducts a radio show Tube Class, which targets teenagers and gives them an opportunity to anonymously ask questions about sexual and reproductive health and rights. Further, evidence-informed communication campaigns continue to empower women and youth to use products and services that ultimately lead to healthier lives.

Donors

• Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Burundi
• U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for HIV/AIDS Prevention Program
• Global Health Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) – Chemonics

Partners

• Government of Burundi
• Population Media Center (PMC)
• Association Burundaise pour le Bien-être Familial (ABUBEF)
• Triggerise