Ephraim’s life was marked for God from the beginning. As a gravely ill child in 1986, his father, in a desperate prayer, promised God, “If you heal him, I will dedicate him to you.” Nine years later, his father revealed this vow, telling Ephraim, “You are no longer my son, you are in the hands of the Lord.” Ephraim’s joyful response was, “I am so happy I belong to God.”

That belonging was soon tested by fire. Forced from his home in Burundi by civil war, Ephraim was living as a refugee in the Congo when God called him to return home and preach. On the journey back, he was captured by rebels. They beat him brutally, stomped on him, tried to hang him, and threw him in a toilet. As they jumped on his torso, Ephraim, bleeding and broken, prayed like the martyr Stephen: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing!”

When the captain ordered him shot, Ephraim declared with unwavering confidence, “You cannot kill me because I am called by God to serve my country, to preach the good news to the whole of Burundi, and even beyond.”

Left for dead, he survived.

For the last two decades, he has fulfilled that call, travelling across Burundi and beyond, preaching a message of forgiveness and love. Today, he leads ‘Together for Development – Birashoboka’, an organisation that serves the most vulnerable—those with HIV, prostitutes, orphans, and widows. They provide not just practical help like microfinance loans and sewing machines, but the profound truth that they are precious and loved by God.

Described as one of the top Christians in Burundi's history, Ephraim is a man of relentless compassion, a living testament to a life surrendered to God and miraculously preserved for a purpose greater than himself.