Health center remodeling - Mutumba/Burundi - Missionszentrale Schönstätter Marienschwestern

January 31, 2026, was a special day in the history of the Mutumba Health Center in Burundi. Although many stones had already been laid for the new hospital building, we celebrated the blessing of the foundation stone and the newly constructed buildings on the occasion of the Director General’s visit to our community, Dr. Bernd Biberger.

Recipients

Sick people from the surrounding hills

Location

Mutumba, community of Kabezi,
Burundi

Responsible

Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, Province of Switzerland, Burundi Delegation

As we walked through the construction site, a group of local women spontaneously accompanied us, singing, drumming, and dancing. Even without the right drum, they made do with a small water canister. They are simply happy that it is their health center and hospital.
The two dates inscribed above the foundation stone refer to the period of operation of the Mutumba Health Center. Since 1963, we Sisters of Mary have served countless sick people here and assisted mothers during childbirth. In 2026, the year of our community’s 100th anniversary, we are delighted to receive a special anniversary gift of our own and to offer it to the population.

HOW YOU CAN HELP WITH YOUR DONATION:

80,263.00 euros must now be collected for the construction of the isolation building for patients with infectious diseases.

The health center in Mutumba

In 1962, the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary started this health center, located in Mutumba in the community of Kabezi, 30 km from the city of Bujumbura. This is a very poor rural area where many people have no access to electricity and running water. This center has been providing uninterrupted health and social services for 62 years, even during the wars of the 1970s and 1990s.
The health center consists of three areas:

an outpatient area, a hospitalization area – with three 10-bed wards for men, women and children –
and a separate maternity building.

There is no surgery service yet.

Current project: Renovation and new construction of the hospital building

The overall project includes

New construction of the hospital (a three-story building with 339.68 m2 per floor and a total area of 1019.04 m2)
Construction of an isolation building for patients with infectious diseases
Construction of an outdoor kitchen and canteen for visitors (in Burundi, relatives have to feed patients themselves)
Construction of two houses with bedrooms for three nurses each and an outdoor kitchen
Construction of a mortuary
Renovation of the exterior: Water pipes and access roads

The separate building for deliveries was completely renovated in 2018.

The project is financed exclusively by donations.

The total costs amount to €691,488.00, including VAT.

Every donation brings us closer to our goal!