This 2-min film shows the beautiful community impact brought about through Milk For Transformation. It was pioneered by my friend Evariste with the idea of bringing in cross-bred sturdy and milk-rich Friesian cows into Burundi. As a result, about 5,000 people’s lives have been lifted out of extreme poverty, as it has created a chain of employment and empowerment all the way from production to distribution around the city. Stunning! That’s the good news…

…the bad news is that now Burundi is on its knees because there has been a crippling fuel crisis for the last two years.

I’m hoping this email will stop Milk For Transformation from collapsing, and decimating 5,000 lives. I received this plea from Evariste:

Dear Simon,
Here in Burundi, your second home land, things are not doing well. We don’t have fuel in the country. And most of the time, there are power cuts for hours or days at a time. Imagine England without fuel!!! So the holistic ministry that GLO has strengthened is at risk. We do use a lot of fuel indeed  from transport to processing milk and chilling it;  no single day passes without the noise of a generator; but it is crucial noise.

Without fuel; we cannot move. So what do we do to survive? I have to spend three times the usual amount. But we don’t have any choice.

Recently, I have mobilized thousands of the stakeholders in the ministry (farmers, grass-growers, bicycle transporters, processing staff, average families who buy cheap milk for children, the small dealers and consumers of affordable milk). They are all now on their knees praying because if we stop collecting that milk, many will lose hope. We are selling the cheapest milk in the city of Bujumbura. If we raise the price many will just stop buying it. 

So I come back to you because I know that you have a heart for the holistic ministry to stand with us and subsidise fuel until January 2025. The cost is $12,000. We will also increase the price for the farmers because inflation is very high. Instead of collapsing, we will praise God and wait for the good season to come. Why January 2025? It is the period we committed to praying for change in Burundi. We will also work hard to adjust and adapt the crises to the context we are living.  

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you.

I know there are needs everywhere. But I’m hoping that with a low-key ask, a few of you will want to intervene to help this stunning initiative pull through its darkest hour. If you want to help, click here. All of us can pray for these precious people and beautiful but broken Burundi as it battles for survival. Thanks for caring.