World Water Day: Then, Now, and the Work Still Ahead in Burundi
World Water Day is a time to reflect on something simple, yet life-changing: access to clean water. It’s a chance to celebrate progress while remembering how far there is still to go.
In many parts of Burundi, the “then” meant long walks to unsafe water sources, illness, missed school days, and preventable disease and deaths. Families spent hours each day just trying to meet a basic need.
Where It All Began
Our first water project set a powerful precedent.
It brought clean water to the Batwa (Twa) community, one of Burundi’s most underserved populations. This wasn’t just about building tap stands—it was a decision rooted in love, equity, inclusion, and compassion. By starting here, the Gazelle Foundation sent a deliberate signal: clean water is a basic right for everyone, no matter their tribe or religion. It was a choice guided by forgiveness, humanity, and the belief that every life is equally worthy. This commitment remains at the heart of our mission and the very fabric of our organization.
The Gazelle Foundation builds gravity-fed water systems that carry clean water across kilometers of pipeline, each system brings clean water closer to home—reducing disease, giving families (especially children) time for school and daily life, and offering hope for a brighter future.
A Mission Rooted in Resilience
The Gazelle Foundation’s story began long before our official formation in 2006.
It started on October 21, 1993 with Gilbert Tuhabonye, a Burundi survivor of the Hutu/Tutsi civil upheaval of the 1980’s and 90’s. Gilbert was a national champion runner as a high school student, but on this day, he would literally run for his life. When the centuries-old war between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes erupted, some of Gilbert’s Hutu classmates, parents, teachers and other Hutu tribesmen forced more than a hundred Tutsi children and teachers into a room where they beat and burned them to death. Gilbert, on fire, ran to freedom, and survived this horrific event.
In 2006, Gilbert wrote This Voice in My Heart, an autobiographical account of his upbringing and remarkable survival. The response to the book was overwhelming, inspiring an outpouring of people eager to help.
That momentum led to the creation of the Gazelle Foundation, where Gilbert works alongside a dedicated board of directors, including co-founder and Board President Peter Rauch, and hundreds of volunteers to raise awareness of the needs of the Burundian people while educating the local community about the global water crisis and the importance of humanitarian aid in Burundi.
And the story continues to this day.
Then vs. Now
What began with one project has grown into lasting impact:
144,560+ people now have access to clean water
$3.33 million invested in water systems
5,651 jobs created
Clean water in 69 schools, churches, and hospitals
76 completed projects and 1 under construction
“There were nights I couldn’t give water to my kids because the trip to get it was too far away. So we would collect condensation from surfaces and drink that. Thanks to Gazelle Foundation, and our water system, we all have as much clean water as we need.” —Hilde Nininahazwe, mother
More Than Water: Clean Water. Clear Futures.
Clean water transforms everything—health, education, and economic opportunity. It allows communities not just to survive, but to thrive.
Each Gazelle Foundation project is also fully transparent, with GPS coordinates and photos, connecting supporters directly to the impact they help create. And we post updates in real time on our social media channels.
The Work Ahead
There are still more communities that need our help, and more work ahead—but from a single project in Songa to 76 completed systems, the progress is real and growing. This World Water Day, we celebrate how far we’ve come and recommit to the journey ahead.
The Gazelle Foundation is deeply grateful to every donor, volunteer, sponsor, and event participant—because it is your generosity and dedication that make this impact possible.
Clean water changes everything—and thanks to you, everything is possible.
Left to Right: Peter Rauch, Chad Whited, Maeve Magner, Gilbert Tuhabonye, Courtney Waldren, Ashish Patel, Suellen Carson and Dermot O’Driscoll. Gazelle Foundation Board of Directors and Executive Director. Not pictured Mary Ann Frishman and Dana Page.
