Economic Opportunity in Burundi

An odd name for a bank, you might think.

What it's called is Turame ["too-RAH-may"]; what it means is to live long and have health. This is not the kind of message most people expect to hear from a bank. Yet for the people and communities in Burundi, this is precisely the kind of promise that is most needed. Turame: hope for life and for health.

Burundi is a landlocked, mountainous country located in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Slightly larger than neighboring Rwanda, it is comparable in size to the area of West Michigan. Its people are friendly and its church is growing, yet in addition to having one of the highest population densities in Africa and one of the highest incidences of AIDS in the world, Burundi is also one of the poorest economies on the planet. The average yearly income nationally is equal to just over a dollar a day.

In the midst of this widespread poverty and disease, however, Turame Bank is bringing hope in Burundi through a system of microcredit. By lending micro-loans [often less than $100], to individuals who lack the collateral necessary to secure a traditional loan, Turame is giving clients the opportunity for first steps out of poverty. Clients use their loan to create and maintain business—growing produce, weaving cloth, or milking a goat, for example. In doing this, they're generating income enough to both pay back their loan and to support themselves and their families.

Creating economic opportunity in Burundi is the [Z] in [XYZ], a key expression of our mission. You can find out more about getting involved with [Z] by contacting info@marshill.org, or you can give to [XYZ] at our online Joy Box.