FCI in Action
This is an excerpt from a newsletter we sent to our Mirth and Dignity Saints
You already know that your Saints donation supports the UU Hysterical Society, as well as other innovative projects through Mirth and Dignity. There’s one other thing you are supporting that might come as a surprise to you.
This is a community centre in Ryansoro, Burundi, built by Flaming Chalice International (FCI). We partner with Flaming Chalice because they played such a key role in our origin story, and because we model a lot of our structures off of their unique approach. We also partner with them because we believe that a budget is a moral document, and a budget that says “All the money goes to us” is not a budget we’d be proud of.
Because of your Saints contribution, every penny of profit from our booths at national gatherings, our holiday fundraiser, and our online store is able to go to Flaming Chalice International. Not ten percent of profit. Not profit-minus-administration. All of it. There are community gardens and micro-loans, and even refugee support happening because of your support.
Since you’re making that possible, we thought you’d like to hear about some of what’s happening! Tanya Cothran of Spirit in Action (another group that works with FCI) shares with us some of her recent trip to Burundi.
Amahoro! Murakoze! Kumagara yachu!
Hello! Thank you! Cheers!
These are the three key phrases I learn whenever I visit another country. In July, when I met up with Rev. Mwibutsawineza (who you may know as Fulgence) Ndagijimana from Flaming Chalice International in Bujumbura, Burundi, I asked how to say the words in Kirundi, wrote them down in the Notes app on my phone, and practiced them out loud a few times.
Armed with my three words of Kirundi, I boldly used them everywhere we went. “Amahoro; Amahoro” – usually said twice – I said to Manassé, the coordinator of Flaming Chalice activities in Burundi. “Murakoze!” I told Yannick, our excellent driver, who stayed up late to find petrol amidst the fuel shortage in the country.
We woke early on the day Yannick drove us to Ryansoro, where we visited the beautiful community centre built by Flaming Chalice, with funds raised by the UU Hysterical Society. Ryansoro is on top of one of the many hills in central Burundi, and it is far away from anything like a major town or city. The community centre is a gathering place where people from the surrounding farms and homesteads come at the end of the day to drink with friends, get their haircut, buy household items, or meet with their savings and loans groups. The groups meet once a week and provide low-interest, low-barrier loans to each other, as well as a way for the women to steadily save for the tough time of the year.
As we drove into the grounds, I could tell immediately that it was a vibrant community gathering centre. Over two hundred women were gathered to celebrate the success of their savings groups. As a show of support, many men and youth were also there, as well as the mayor and his advisors. But the women were seated in the front rows, a testament to the standing they now have in the community as a result of their savings groups.
The day’s festivities included traditional Burundian drumming from the Ryansoro Drummers, performances by a local dance troupe, and many speeches and testimonies. Starting my remarks with “Amahoro!” brought smiles and applause from those gathered. Mwibutsa sat by me and interpreted my words into Kirundi and the women's words into English so we could all understand.
After the official presentation, many people came up to greet me and take photos. I desperately wished I knew more than my three Kirundi words so that I could get to know them better. As the evening wound down, I sat with a few of the government advisors on chairs in the centre’s grounds. One of them knew some phrases in English, but after a short exchange, we sat in silence, knowing that we could connect even without sharing a language. Instead, we watched the starry sky, every once in a while looking around at each other, raised our glasses and said, “Kumagara yachu!”
