Lessons from Genocide in Burundi

Join the United Nations Association for a lecture on what role should international organizations and society play in restoring peace and hope in this African country, featuring Steve Ndabambalire on Tuesday, April 8, 2008. The reception is at 5:30 with the lecture at 7pm at the Belmont United Methodist Church on 21st Avenue South at Acklen in Hillsboro Village.



Steve Ndabambalire is a Burundian national. He grew up in the culturally diverse Burundian Capital of Bujumbura and attended the international school. During his childhood years in the 1980's, Bujumbura was a magnet attracting people from all over the world: diplomats, businessmen, students, development volunteers, tourists, and migrants seeking opportunities. Due to his father’s assignments as Ambassador in Tripoli, Libya, Steve lived and traveled throughout North Africa as a boy. His father helped instill the Republic of Burundi following the 1966 Revolution. Steve is a supervisor in the Cash Management Division at a Fortune 500 Company in Nashville, TN. Prior to moving with his wife, Lyse, to Nashville in 2004, he held a four-year assignment with the same company in Paris, France.

In 2005, Steve and Lyse founded their retail business, BK Traders, and the brand, Mwizero. (Mwizero means "hope" in the Burundi native language of Kirundi.) Mwizero features gourmet coffee made of premium organic Burundian beans roasted locally, and a broad selection of arts and crafts handmade by Burundi artisans.