A new service center dedicated to the Burundian community opens its doors in Ottawa

A new service center dedicated to the region’s Burundian community has just opened its doors on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Ottawa.

A project awaited for ten years for Camille Kamanzi, general director of the organization Burundi We Wantwho dreamed of it even while he was studying at the University of Ottawa.

We’ve been working hard for ten years to have this space where we can offer programs to our community. […] and take our place as Burundian-Canadianshe confides with pride in his voice.

For the non-profit organization, this sharing space was first designed to help Burundians adapt to life in Canada while maintaining deep ties to their cultural roots.

Mr. Kamanzi imagined this center when the Burundian community in the region was growing rapidly. It’s a very young community here in Ottawa. […] She has grown a lot and we saw the need to set up a center that will help them.

According to Statistics Canada, the population of Burundian origin in Ottawa and Gatineau almost doubled between 2016 and 2021.

The team wants to offer integration programs adapted to newcomers, such as employment assistance and tax assistance.

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The center will also offer entrepreneurship mentoring, academic assistance for young people and mental health support.

The goal is to bring together all the resources and essential information to succeed in integrating into Canada.

A place where we need

Present at the inauguration, Rideau-Vanier municipal councilor Stéphanie Plante welcomed this initiative with enthusiasm.

We need Burundi We Want! We need facilities for young people so that they can benefit from a path – especially here in the national capital – that will lead them to successshe exclaimed in front of the assembly, gathered for the occasion.

For Eric Stubbs, chief of the Ottawa Police Service, this center represents a chance to improve relations with the Burundian community. I’m really happy with this launch. Over the years, we have sometimes had difficult relations with the Burundian community. […] Although I regret these incidents, we now have the opportunity to have a conversation, to work better together he mentioned.

Burundi We Want has already supported more than 2,500 Burundians since its creation in 2015.

With information from Amadou Barry