Each meal you pack, fund and pray over equips FMSC partners to do transformative work around the world. Hunger relief is usually just part of what our partners do — but food is the foundation for so much more.

Burundi | Africa

Percentage of children under 5 with stunted growth from malnutrition: 55.9% (Global Hunger Index, 2024)

Burundi has the world’s highest rate of child stunting, with 55.9% of children under 5 affected. Stunting, caused by long-term malnutrition, permanently limits a child’s growth and can significantly affect brain development.

Rising food prices and natural disasters, including months of heavy rain, flooding, and landslides, have damaged farmland and displaced thousands. Extreme poverty drives the crisis deeper, with 77% of the population living on less than $1.90 a day.

Right now, 122,000 people in Burundi are on the brink of starvation. It’s one of the world’s worst hunger crises — one of only six countries ranked as “alarming” in the 2024 Global Hunger Index. Nearly one in four children under 5 are malnourished, and 85,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition — weakening the body to the point that even common illnesses are deadly.

FMSC food supports our partners’ work in Burundi, including:

• Prison outreach and nutrition
• School meal programs
• Crisis relief

Featured partners: ARAHA, LIFE for Relief and Development, Unto