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In 1997, during the civil war in Burundi, Colette D. Nahimana, the founder of Restore Hope Ministries, took it to heart to care for young teenage girls in Bujumbura. In times of war and extreme poverty, adolescent girls are an easier target and are more likely to adopt risky behaviors. During this period, some of the bad habits observed among young girls in the Mutanga-Sud neighborhood included prostitution at a very young age, premarital pregnancies, dropping out of school, and alcoholism.

She organized home classes in her living room, where she met weekly with the teenage girls she mentored. The purpose of the class sessions was to raise awareness of the harmful effects of alcoholism, smoking, drug use, premarital pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, dropping out of school, and prostitution.

Some Church leaders and health professionals endorsed these awareness sessions and participated in teaching or sharing life experiences with the young girls.

Later, she reached out to other neighborhood groups, particularly teenage boys, university students, and domestic workers, with the same message.
Colette visited some Churches by invitation to speak to youth and started a radio show on Christian radio.

She instilled a spirit of service in the young people she mentored and taught them to have compassion for the poor. She made them visit the sick in hospitals and orphans in the neighborhood to divert their attention from their own needs and develop a heart to care for others.

Most of the young girls and boys she led were able to complete their secondary and university studies and are today healthier people and responsible citizens in society. They have taken over and continue the “Restore Hope Ministries” work in Burundi.

We believe that preventing risky behavior leading to juvenile delinquency is a non-negotiable foundation for producing responsible adults and a healthier and more balanced society. This prevention also aims to peacefully resolve conflicts at all levels to prepare peaceful homes and communities.