Mount Hope: The Name Says It All
The Gift
He’s an orphan: the child of a widow. His father was killed for ethnic reasons. After excusing himself to quickly change into a Sister Connection t-shirt, he proudly aligned himself with the 500 widows and orphans who were gathered last September in celebration of our organization becoming officially recognized by both the US and the Burundian governments. He’s the governor of Gitega, a man of prominence, yet with compassion and respect he showed his heart to the widows and orphans of his country...in direct defiance of the cultural norm.
"You children, stand up so I can see you," and immediately 300 Sister Connection young people got to their feet. The governor smiled. "Do not let anyone call you an orphan as though you are less than them. You are a Burundian like every other child! You are the future of Burundi! I expect you to go to school and to become leaders. Let no one tell you you cannot do great things. Look at me, I am an orphan. And I am a governor!"
Then he turned to the widows and gently said, "You widows, stand up so I can see you!" And timidly the crowd of 200 Sister Connection widows rose from their backless benches. The governor smiled at them in greeting. "I was 6 years old when they killed my father. At night I would lie in bed and listen to my mother cry. I understand how difficult it is to raise children as a widow. And I want to encourage you to be strong."
Finally, he turned to the leadership of Sister Connection who were seated behind him. He said, "What you are doing for the widows and the orphans of our country is a very good thing. You say you want to educate them and to empower them to succeed, but that you need a place to build a center. I will give you land."
Give us land? He gave us a MOUNTAIN! Thousands of organizations are looking for land in Burundi upon which to build. Bishop Elie, our legal representative to the Burundian government, declared, "This is a miracle. This land was being held just for us by God." We agree.
The Mountain
The mountain is located on the main road between Gitega and Mweya. Gitega is the second largest city in Burundi, and is located right in the middle of the country. Mweya is a mission station with elementary, secondary and Bible schools. The close proximity to Gitega grants accessibility to electricity and water sources for our mountain. From this strategic location, we can comprehensively serve all regions of the country.
The Plan
Sister Connection center is a multi-phased project that, when fully implemented, will include the following facilities:
- Transitional Orphan Housing
- Training Centers
- School/Dorms
- Dining Facility
- Visiting Team Guest Housing
The initiatives that will be offered through Mount Hope include:
- Community Health & Education - Training widows and older Sister Connection children to take health education back into their own communities.
- Literacy Classes - There is an estimated 90% illiteracy rate among Sister Connection widows.
- Literacy Teacher Training - Widows & older Sister Connection youth will be highly effective literacy teachers.
- Trauma Recovery - On site as well as continuing training for our counselors.
- Micro Enterprise Training - Twelve Sister Connection widows are currently in training in the capital city. We need to centralize this training for maximum benefit.
Transform a Mountain with Us
Phase One for the Sister Connection Center on Mount Hope is a 6000 square foot multipurpose building with meeting rooms, kitchen, eating area, storage. The cost for Phase One is $75,000. The Sister Connection Board of Directors has already given $25,000 to get construction underway. A balance of $50,000 is needed by November 2008, since a condition of the land grant is that the first building be mostly built by this date.
The total project cost (for all phases) is $500,000. Sister Connection does not carry debt, so additional phases will only begin when the funds become available.
To learn more about Mt. Hope, contact Denise Patch, President, at 317-517-5881 or denise@sisterconnection.org. Questions about giving can be directed to Dan Kurtz, Treasurer, at 517-841-5808 or dan@sisterconnection.org. Checks can be sent to:
Sister Connection, Inc.
8314 Union Street
Indianapolis, IN 46227
