August 01, 2019
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For over 35 years, Maxine and Bob Burton, owners of burton+Burton, have generously contributed their time and resources to many civic causes and initiatives in their home communities. However, in 2017 the Burtons took an opportunity to make an impact more globally, in the emerging country of Rwanda.
Ravaged by tribal conflict in the closing decade of the 20th century, Rwandan society has slowly bounced back in the intervening years. The country continues to make strides developmentally and economically, providing hope for the future of its youngest generations.
However, some problems persist. For all the recent economic growth, Rwanda remains a poor country, with limited resources allocated to the more remote, rural communities.
Roughly half of the population lives in poverty, and only 13% of Rwandan children attend preschool, where there are programs providing nutritional assistance. As a result, 50% of rural Rwandan children experience stunted growth due to malnutrition.
Learning of the desperate situation in the Rwandan countryside from long-time friend Mark Dirks, the Burtons joined an effort to build schools and provide nutritional support to children in the most prone Rwandan communities.
Shortly thereafter, Weaving Hope was formed to help organize the required planning, fundraising and marketing of the initiative. The venture drew on the talents and resources of burton+Burton; Mark Dirks' digital marketing firm Beacon Technologies; the Hope on a Thousand Hills mission, a ministry of the Anglican Church; as well as missionary John Craig and Rwandan entrepreneur Abraham Konga.
