January 31

Started meeting with the Anglican Diocese of Bujumbura today. Unlike the Roman church, the development work within the Anglican Province is handled by each Diocese.  In many ways this makes it difficult to make connections and even more difficult to formulate potential ideas for joint work.  The bishop must sign off on all work and relationships.  I found it tough to maneuver in and keep track of the hierarchy.  The most promising conversations were with the department of youth work and the Mothers Union. The MU is the local equivalent of the ECW.  They work in the villages promoting literacy, health, micro-financing, HIV/AIDS counseling, economic development, and the care and education of single mothers.  The Youth Department was most interested in discussing youth exchanges with American youth joining Burundians in a short summer camp and then doing service projects within the diocese.