Hope Centre, Burundi

Most of you will never have heard of Burundi, a landlocked country in East Africa, officially recognised as one of the poorest nations in the world. The country is beautiful and fertile but has been devastated by decades of fighting between the two main ethnic groups, leaving the economy in ruins. Peace agreements were signed with the last rebel group in 2006 and the country is now attempting to restore relationships between the different groups who are returning from refugee camps in neighbouring countries, and rebuild the economy. AIDS is also a major problem in Burundi, as it is in most of Africa, devastating close-knit family groups and leaving many children and young people with no one to care for them.