From August 4 to 7, 2026, youth-led organizations working on sexual and reproductive health came together at Zion Hotel in Bujumbura to lay the foundation for YouthSprint Burundi. The launch marks the movement’s first expansion beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo and opens a new chapter of youth-led regional collaboration.  

In Burundi, adolescents and young people are central to the country’s development ambitions. Yet they still face barriers to reliable information and responsive reproductive health services, including stigma, limited information, social and cultural norms, and gaps in services tailored to their needs. These barriers can be even greater for young people with disabilities.  

In this context, meaningful youth participation is more than a matter of inclusion. It is essential to design responses that reflect young people’s realities, strengthening their ability to make informed decisions, and promoting respectful, accessible and nonjudgmental services. YouthSprint Burundi responds to this need by creating a collective platform where young people can raise their voices and help improve reproductive health in their communities.  

With support from Ipas Burundi, participants adapted lessons from the experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Burundian context. Rather than replicating a model, they set out to build a sustainable, representative and action-oriented platform where young people define their priorities, co-create solutions and bring a collective voice to spaces for dialogue, advocacy and accountability.  

An inclusive coalition grounded in national realities  

Discussions underscored the importance of bringing together diverse profiles and experiences, including young women, young people with disabilities, community-based organizations and young people from different provinces. Members also expressed their commitment to turning ideas into concrete action through a shared action plan and clearly defined governance mechanisms.  

Participants also emphasized the urgency of innovation. “After 20 years of investment in reproductive health, what will we do differently to achieve different results?” one participant asked. This reflection challenges the coalition to prioritize approaches designed and led by young people while remaining aligned with national priorities.  

At the end of the workshop, members unanimously adopted “NDUWAGACIRO” as the coalition’s motto. It reflects their commitment to dignity, integrity, responsibility and youth engagement. Participants also stressed that YouthSprint Burundi’s success will depend on cohesion among its members: “Unity is strength. If one person lets go, the connection will be broken.”  

From YouthSprint DRC to a regional movement  

The presentation of YouthSprint DRC placed the launch of the Burundi chapter within a broader regional movement. Established in 2021 with support from Ipas DRC, the Congolese coalition grew from 8 to 31 member organizations across 16 provinces. Burundi is the first country to extend the movement beyond DRC, opening the way for South-South learning among young leaders through shared experience and the adaptation of promising practices to local realities.  

The priorities of the new Burundi chapter are clear: expand young people’s access to reliable information, strengthen referral pathways to responsive services, promote responsible and safe communication, and build a strong youth network that can help shift community perceptions of reproductive health.  

For Ipas Burundi, this support is part of a broader commitment to youth leadership, capacity strengthening, intergenerational dialogue, collective learning and advocacy for reproductive health, gender equality and young people’s access to quality information.  

“Beyond bringing young people together, this initiative aims to build a sustainable, representative and action-oriented platform that strengthens their contribution to national reproductive health priorities,”

said Jean-Claude Ndikumana, Program Director at Ipas Burundi, in his opening remarks. 

Speaker viewed from behind adressing seated audience …

As the first national YouthSprint chapter outside DRC, YouthSprint Burundi now carries a strategic responsibility: to demonstrate how a youth mobilization model can be adapted to a local context and translated into concrete, sustainable and measurable action.  

With “NDUWAGACIRO” as its motto, YouthSprint Burundi sends a simple and powerful message: every young person has value, every voice matters, and collective action can help shape a new generation of regional leadership in reproductive health. 

Writen by Linda Darlene Muhoze, Policy and Advocacy Officer / Ipas Burundi