Far from the Capital
Burundi is a geographically small nation of 11 million people in east-central Africa’s Great Lakes region. Recovering from decades of unrest, Burundi consistently ranks among the lowest in the world in economic development, hunger, and infant and maternal mortality rates.
In rural areas like Kibuye, access to medical care is extremely limited – far from the hospitals and specialists located in the nation’s largest cities.
Since 2013, the Serge team in Kibuye has partnered with Hope Africa University and Kibuye Hope Hospital to bring compassionate medical care in the name of Jesus to the poor in rural Burundi. The team also serves as medical school faculty, equipping the next generation of Burundian physicians.
What We Do in Burundi – Kibuye
By providing clinical care for patients while also training medical students, the Serge Kibuye team enables Kibuye Hope Hospital to offer a level of specialty care never previously available in this region of Burundi.
Here are just a few ways the team is serving their community:
- Children with retinoblastoma (eye cancer), a disease that’s nearly 100% curable in the US and 100% fatal in Burundi, are receiving life-saving chemotherapy.
- Drs Rachel and Eric Mclaughlin launched a new preventative care program, called “Zigama Mama,” in an effort to reduce the unusually high number of uterine rupture (UR) cases per year.
- The team also runs an outpatient feeding program addressing the challenge of chronic malnutrition which affects 60% of Burundian children under age 5 (UNICEF report 2013).
- Kibuye Hope Hospital maintains the most advanced surgical service for millions of Burundians, performing thousands of surgeries annually.
“Kibuye Hope Hospital, out in the bush in arguably the poorest nation on earth, is fast becoming the primary place in the region to teach medical students and receive care. We live there, provide care for the poorest of the poor, and do this alongside young Burundian professionals, teaching and discipling them as young Christian doctors, to go out to the rest of their country with hope and light.”
– Dr. Rachel McLaughin, Serge Missionary, Africa
The team offers medical training and disciples African physicians during and post med school, seeking to model Christ-centered, compassionate care, which is crucial to the goal of changing the face of healthcare in Burundi.
Under the leadership of Hope Africa University, approximately 40-60 medical students are training at Kibuye at any given time, in addition to several nursing and allied health programs (anesthesia, ophthalmology, etc.).
In addition to medical student training, Kibuye runs a training 12-month training program for post-graduate interns, and they are working with Hope Africa University to develop specialized training programs in General Surgery and Family Medicine.
“I teach my medical students to bend down, to sit on the bed, and to touch everyone in the room. We are teaching them that these patients and their families are made in the image of God and are very important. We are mentoring a new generation of holistic Gospel-oriented doctors. It is so important that we do this because none of us will be here forever. We need to ensure access to quality medical care here for after we are gone from this world”.
—Dr. Alyssa Pfister, Serge Missionary, Africa
Meet The Team
Get Involved
Missions Opportunities Burundi – Kibuye
The Serge Kibuye team is looking for medical professionals, especially surgery, anesthesia, and primary care. Other opportunities include construction engineer, coordinator of discipleship and evangelism, and a projects and finance manager.
We also have an ongoing need for teachers for the children of the mission team.
Here are the ways you can join our team:
How You Can Pray
- For our relationships to grow and flourish with the national leaders of Hope Africa University and Kibuye Hope Hospital
- For the hospital staff, that they would be the hands and feet of Jesus as they minister to patients, and that the good news of the gospel would go forth in our area
- For the medical students who come to Kibuye Hope Hospital to grow both professionally and spiritually, as many of them participate in a discipleship program led by the team
- For peace in this beautiful land
Give to a Team Project
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Kibuye, Burundi, Team Fund
The Serge Kibuye team has been living in rural Burundi since 2013. Longterm living and serving here requirements significant investment. This fund exists to support ongoing team expenses as well...
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Kibuye Pediatric Ward, Burundi
In the underserved interior of Burundi, the world’s poorest and hungriest country (World Bank 2015, Global Hunger Index 2013), Kibuye Hope Hospital continues to provide the most reliable care in...
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Kibuye Hope Hospital Pharmacy, Burundi
In the the underserved interior of Burundi, Kibuye Hope Hospital is developing as a center of quality care for patients and training for African health professionals. The hospital has already...
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Kibuye Nutrition Program, Burundi
Though Burundi is among the poorest and hungriest countries in the world, patients admitted to Burundian hospitals only eat what their families provide for them. After the arrival of the...
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Kibuye, Burundi, Retinoblastoma Treatment Center
Retinoblastoma is the most common pediatric eye tumor in the world. In developed nations, nearly 100% of these children survive with modern treatments. But until the Serge team in collaboration...
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Kibuye Eye Clinic, Burundi
Kibuye Hope Eye Unit Burundi is a war-torn land struggling to provide healthcare for its people. The Serge Burundi-Kibuye team has partnered with Hope Africa University in Burundi to help...
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Kibuye, Burundi, Needy Patient Fund
Kibuye Needy Patient Fund Medical bills can place a strain on any family, even more so if you are a subsistence farmer in one of the world’s poorest countries. Even...
Current Staffing Needs
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