Overview
Safe and stable shelter is a basic human need — yet many families and individuals in Burundi live without adequate housing, exposed to weather, insecurity, and health risks. Food insecurity and lack of basic household items further compound vulnerability. Vulnerability is not only defined by material poverty but also by exclusion, discrimination, and lack of protection. Many individuals face social isolation, abuse, neglect, or institutional barriers that prevent them from living with dignity and safety.
EXODUS FOUNDATION responds with practical, dignity-centred shelter and basic needs support that restores safety and reduces immediate risk while working with communities to identify durable solutions. We also work to protect vulnerable individuals and promote social inclusion by addressing immediate protection risks, supporting marginalized groups, and fostering environments where people are respected, supported, and connected to their communities.
What We Do
Emergency Shelter & Temporary Housing
We provide immediate shelter solutions — temporary roofing, emergency tents or materials, and safe transitional housing — to families who have lost homes or whose living conditions pose serious safety risks.
Housing Construction & Rehabilitation
Working with local communities, we build or rehabilitate simple, safe homes for homeless and extremely poor families. Projects prioritize local materials, community labor, and solutions that are culturally appropriate and sustainable.
Basic Needs & Household Support
We distribute essential items such as blankets, clothing, kitchen utensils, and hygiene supplies to households in crisis, helping families re-establish stability and daily functioning.
Food Assistance for Vulnerable Households
Targeted food support is provided to families with critical needs, patients in hospitals without family support, and households coping with sudden loss of income.
Support to Vulnerable Individuals
We provide targeted assistance to individuals facing protection risks, including those experiencing neglect, abandonment, or extreme social vulnerability. Support may include basic needs assistance, accompaniment, and referrals to appropriate services.
Social Inclusion & Community Reintegration
Social exclusion deepens vulnerability. We work to support reintegration into family and community life, particularly for elderly people, formerly institutionalized individuals, and others at risk of isolation.
Support in Institutional Settings
We regularly engage with people in institutional environments, including prisons and care facilities, providing material support, social visits, and referrals aimed at improving living conditions and restoring dignity.
Protection Referrals & Case Support
When specialized protection or legal support is required, we coordinate referrals with relevant institutions and partners. Our role is to help individuals navigate systems that are often difficult to access.
Awareness & Dignity Promotion
Through community engagement, we promote respect, solidarity, and the protection of vulnerable people, helping reduce stigma and discrimination.
Who This Program Serves
- Homeless and extremely poor families lacking safe shelter
- Families whose homes were destroyed or damaged by disaster or crisis
- Households with young children, elderly members, or persons with disabilities at risk from inadequate shelter
- Hospital patients and families who need temporary accommodation during recovery
- Households lacking basic household items and hygiene supplies
- Individuals facing neglect, abuse, or social exclusion
- Elderly people living alone or without family support
- People in prisons or other institutional settings
- Vulnerable women and marginalized individuals
- People lacking access to protection services or social support networks
Support is delivered based on vulnerability assessments, community referrals, and coordination with local authorities and partners. Support is guided by vulnerability assessments and referrals from community leaders, institutions, and trusted partners.
Our Impact & Why It Matters
Shelter, basic needs support, protection, and inclusion efforts generate meaningful change:
- Families move from unsafe or unstable conditions into safer, weather-resistant homes
- Immediate reductions in exposure-related illness and protection risks
- Improved ability for children to attend school and for adults to engage in work or livelihood activities
- Stronger community resilience when housing responses use local labor and materials
- Dignity restored through tangible, practical assistance that addresses daily life needs
- Individuals regain a sense of safety, dignity, and belonging
- Social isolation is reduced through reconnection and support
- Institutional conditions improve through regular engagement and assistance
- Communities become more aware and inclusive of vulnerable members
Our interventions are designed to prevent short-term crisis from becoming long-term displacement or chronic vulnerability. By addressing both immediate protection needs and longer-term social inclusion, this work helps prevent chronic vulnerability and strengthens community cohesion.
Social Protection in Action
These images capture everyday moments where shelter, food, household support, protection, and inclusion restore safety and dignity — from temporary repairs to newly rebuilt homes, the distribution of essential items, community support visits, and social inclusion activities.
