Wenatchee volunteers join international effort to support widows, orphans in Burundi

WENATCHEE — A team of volunteers from Wenatchee will depart for Burundi, Africa, on May 10 to assist with the continued development of an agricultural training facility operated by Sister Connection, a nonprofit organization that supports widows and orphans in one of the world’s poorest countries.

The team includes three returning volunteers — Bob Brown, Jerry Roseburg, and Ken Schober — along with Craig Reese, International President and CEO of Sister Connection. The group will spend two weeks working at Mount Hope, the organization’s vocational training facility located in central Burundi.

Mount Hope supports a wide range of agricultural activity, including the cultivation of pineapples, beans, coffee, sweet potatoes, and moringa, as well as the care of livestock such as pigs, rabbits, and chickens. During this trip, the volunteers will complete construction of two new livestock barns and install a hammermill to support the facility’s expanding operations.

Sister Connection, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is headquartered in Wenatchee and works to promote sustainable self-sufficiency for widows and orphans in Burundi through homebuilding, sponsorship, vocational training, and micro-enterprise development.

For more information about Sister Connection, visit www.sisterconnection.org.