OLINA HAKIZIMA
How many times a day do you flush a toilet, wash your hands or take a drink of safe water without even thinking about it? Right now, there are 2.5 billion people across the world who have no access to these basic necessities. Water4 sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) trainer, Olina Hakizima, thinks about the injustice of this reality every day as she humbly and graciously leads the sanitation and hygiene education program for Water4 in Burundi.
Born and raised in Burundi, Olina Hakizima understood from a young age the many forms of injustice surrounding her – injustice from lack of safe water, injustice from poor sanitation and hygiene and injustice from gender-based violence to name a few. Being exposed to so much brokenness from such a young age would leave most people broken themselves, but not Olina. She credits her childhood experiences for providing the strength and resolve necessary to dedicate her life and career to fighting for justice.
Olina received a degree in Communication of Development in 2013. Soon after, she was introduced to Water4 partner, Imagine Burundi-Terimbere, a social business working for poverty reduction and gender equality through education, empowerment, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Olina engages with communities as a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) trainer, while also juggling the balance of the Imagine Burundi public relations efforts and the finance and logistics for their WaSH program.
“As we say that water is life, a lack of clean drinking water affects me and my loved ones in the sense that without clean drinking water, we do not have life, we live without being sure of tomorrow because we face all these waterborne diseases and diseases caused by bad hygiene and sanitation,” said Olina.
Each year, poor hygiene and lack of sanitation claim the lives of 1.6 million people globally. This is a staggering statistic that Olina wakes up to tackle every day, but growth is happening. Olina attributes a large part of this growth to working with and learning from the communities she serves. She sees lives change and flourish as people learn and sickness is eliminated.
“Don't let her beaming smile fool you, Olina is a strong, independent entrepreneur and world changer who's tenacity has transformed thousands of Burundian lives” said Water4 Managing Director, Matt Hangen.
Olina not only witnesses change in communities, but also in the lives of the other Imagine Burundi team members, as they experience the sense of purpose that comes from working to bring safe water access to their community. From the communities she serves to the colleagues she works with, Olina embraces the responsibility that comes from the life experiences she’s been given.
Safe water and access to sanitation and hygiene are some of the most basic necessities for life as we know it, and Olina’s work is a shining example of how the simplest practices can change the lives of people, who otherwise, might have had life stolen from them.
“Every change we need starts with us,” says Olina. “If we want to see change we need to put our efforts, our heart, our mind, etc into seeing it happen.”
As learning takes place and behavior begins to change in the lives of the people Olina serves, disease and sickness are eliminated, futures are re-established and people thrive. Even though many forms of injustice still remain, Olina is committed to waking up each day to fight for as many of the 2.5 billion people who lack access to basic sanitation and hygiene as she can.
We are pleased to stand with Olina and the rest of the Imagine Burundi team as they pursue justice, with full belief in their ability to change the course of history in their nation through safe water, sanitation and hygiene.