Evidence for Burundi's health and demographic future

DPHI-Burundi is a registered research initiative building health and demographic surveillance, vaccine-impact evaluation, and policy-relevant evidence with national and academic partners.

A Research Initiative Born from Burundi's Need

DPHI was founded to address a fundamental challenge: reliable health and demographic data is the cornerstone of effective policy — yet Burundi faces a critical deficit of such evidence.

Mission

To contribute to the socio-economic development of Burundi through public health research, demography, evidence-based data collection, and community capacity building.

Vision

A Burundi where health and demographic decisions are driven by reliable, timely, and locally generated evidence.

Values

Scientific rigor · Community partnership · Transparency · Equity · Sustainability

Domains of Intervention

DPHI operates across six complementary domains to address the root determinants of population health

Public Health

Research, surveillance, and capacity building in health systems

Education

Community literacy and health education programs

Environment

Environmental health and climate impact studies

Food Security

Nutrition surveillance and food system analysis

Gender & Human Rights

Gender-responsive research and rights-based approaches

Agriculture

Agricultural health and rural community studies

Legal Registration

DPHI is a legally registered non-profit association under Ministerial Order n°530/1337 of October 10, 2023, issued by the Ministry of Interior, Community Development and Public Security of Burundi.

Founded

2022

Legally Registered

October 2023

Legal Representative

Jean Juste Harrisson BASHINGWA

Headquarters

Commune Urbaine de Ntahangwa, Bujumbura, Burundi

Two launch work areas, one evidence mission

The launch site keeps navigation shallow while making the core scientific work inspectable for government, collaborators, funders, and communities.

Platform

Health and Demographic Surveillance System

A longitudinal surveillance platform designed to register households, revisit residents, document vital events, and generate local evidence for planning and accountability.

Status
Pilot design and site selection
Primary outputs
Vital statistics, cause-of-death evidence, disease burden indicators
Open HDSS page

Evaluation

Vaccine-impact evaluation

A developing research area for measuring how vaccination programmes affect disease burden, equity, and service delivery in real settings.

Status
Protocol and partnership development
Primary outputs
Methods notes, evaluation reports, policy summaries
Discuss collaboration

How DPHI evidence moves toward decisions

The site separates institutional claims from research evidence. Each future metric or publication should show its geography, period, source, and method.

Research pathway

Measure

Collect reliable local data

DPHI prioritises household registration, vital-event follow-up, and study protocols that can be reviewed by partners.

Interpret

Connect findings to methods

Outputs are framed with source, period, geography, definitions, and limitations before they become public claims.

Apply

Share evidence with decision-makers

Government, academic, and implementation partners use the evidence through reports, briefs, working groups, and collaborations.

Order n°530/1337

DPHI is legally registered in Burundi.

Source: Ministry of Interior, October 10, 2023

University of Burundi

Academic partnership supports research coordination and capacity building.

Source: Memorandum of Understanding, 2025

~100,000 residents

Target population for the initial HDSS pilot zone.

Source: DPHI HDSS planning estimate

2026-2027

Expected window for first public research outputs.

Source: DPHI establishment timeline

Publications

DPHI's research outputs, policy briefs, and data reports

AllJournal ArticlesPolicy BriefsReports

Publications Coming Soon

Our first research outputs will appear here. DPHI is currently in its establishment phase, with the HDSS pilot generating foundational data that will underpin future publications.

Expected first publications: 2026–2027

Want to be notified when we publish?Contact Us

Structure ready for future publications

Our Institutional Network

A multi-stakeholder ecosystem spanning academia, government, and international organizations

UB
Academic Partner

University of Burundi

MoU signed — institutional academic partner for research coordination, capacity building, and joint publication.

Memorandum of Understanding signed 2025
MSPLS
Government Partner

Ministry of Public Health & AIDS Control

Primary government counterpart overseeing public health policy alignment and HDSS data integration into national health systems.

Burundi
MI
Legal Authority

Ministry of Interior

Legal supervisory authority — registered DPHI under Ministerial Order n°530/1337 on October 10, 2023.

Order n°530/1337 — 2023
WHO
Advisory Partner

World Health Organization

Advisory partner on surveillance standards, verbal autopsy methodology, and global HDSS network integration.

Advisory
UNDP
Advisory Partner

United Nations Development Programme

Advisory support for SDG alignment, sustainable development frameworks, and capacity strengthening.

Advisory
UNICEF
Advisory Partner

UNICEF

Advisory partner for child health surveillance, maternal health indicators, and community health worker programs.

Advisory

Our Team

Dedicated professionals committed to advancing public health research and community wellbeing in Burundi

JJH

Jean Juste Harrisson BASHINGWA

Legal Representative & Executive President

Founding president of DPHI, leading the strategic vision for national health surveillance and international partnership development.

SV

Sarah VUNINGOMA

Vice President

Vice president overseeing research operations, community engagement, and institutional relations across DPHI's programs.

JTE

Jean Tony EZAKO

Surveillance Council Secretary

Secretary of the surveillance council, ensuring governance compliance and coordinating oversight of DPHI's research activities.

Latest Developments

Follow DPHI's journey as we build Burundi's health data infrastructure

Institutional
October 10, 2023

DPHI officially registered by the Burundian Ministry of Interior

DPHI has received its official registration under Ministerial Order n°530/1337, marking a landmark milestone in establishing a legally recognized public health research institution in Burundi.

Partnership
2025

Partnership MoU signed with University of Burundi

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between DPHI and the University of Burundi, formalizing academic collaboration for research coordination, data analysis, and institutional capacity building.

HDSS
2025

HDSS Pilot Phase: site selection process underway

DPHI has launched the site selection process for the HDSS pilot zone, evaluating candidate districts across representativeness, accessibility, community readiness, and ecological diversity.

Get In Touch

Whether you're a researcher, funder, government partner, or community ally — we welcome your engagement. Every collaboration strengthens the evidence base Burundi needs.

Location

Bujumbura, Burundi

Commune Urbaine de Ntahangwa, Zone Gihosha, Quartier Muyaga

Legal Status

Non-profit association registered in Burundi

Registration

Ministerial Order n°530/1337 of October 10, 2023 — Ministry of Interior, Community Development and Public Security of Burundi