At Kibuye, a calorie-dense nutritious porridge was developed to help combat malnutrition. The name, Busoma, is an acronym for its ingredients: Burundian soy, sorghum, and maise. Each serving is around 500 calories with balanced proteins and carbs.
Fidele Niyongabo, the manager of the Busoma factory, walks us through the process. Each grain (soy, sorghum, and maise) is sorted, washed, and dried in the sun. After drying, the grains are roasted for about 15 minutes, then mixed together, two parts maise, one part soy, one part sorghum. A little sugar is added before the batch is ground into a fine flour.
Fidele is proud of the Burundian sources of grains, the Burundian staff and leadership, and the impact it has on this community. Over 200 community members show up twice a week to receive packets of Busoma to help feed their families.
"This year we had a lot of rain and the harvest was not good." Fidele explains. "The children cannot find enough to eat. Thanks to this program Burundian youth of the future find good health in the porridge."
In a country where an income of $1.50/day puts a family in the 85% income bracket, a community program like Busoma creates a buffer against severe health issues.
For Fidele, this is a life's mission. "Life is composed of many things. I take the porridge, because it helps people."