Mt. Hope: From Training to Self-Sufficiency
By Denise Vibbert Patch, International President of Sister Connection
There's something sacred about Mt. Hope, located in the up-country of Burundi. You will feel it if you visit. But if you can't make the 4,000 mile journey, I hope my descriptions and pictures can provide a glimmer of what God is doing in this part of the world.
I recently returned from Mt. Hope. Sister Connection's first building on the mountain, the House of Joy, is nearly complete, awaiting only water and electricity. The lack of utilities hasn't prevented the building from being used. During daylight hours, tailoring classes are being taught. Widows and older orphans who live within walking distance of the mountain are being invited to learn to sew. For some widows it is a skill that will be used in their households, for others it will transform their lives and be the gateway to income and self-sufficiency.
The House of Joy is the first piece in the master plan for Mt. Hope. Today, it is used as a multi-purpose facility, housing an office for our Home Building Supervisor and providing classroom space for student seamstress and weaving classes. Weekly Bible studies are also held there by widows of the Mweya region (about 70 widows). As development of the mountain continues, the House of Joy will be the dining facility for the entire compound. It is equipped with a full kitchen, storage rooms and bathrooms.
As you can see in the photos, this first building is beautiful, built with no debt by many of you who gave anywhere from $5 to thousands of dollars. Together, blessed by Jesus, your gifts became a beacon of hope and joy on a mountain that was once barren.
In 2007, I addressed a crowd of 500 war widows and fatherless children, celebrating Sister Connection's newly official status as a government-approved organization. I was accompanied by other leaders in the area, including the governor of Gitega, Burundi's largest province. As I spoke to the widows, I told them about my dreams, the dreams that our small Sister Connection staff in Burundi had for them. I talked about our vision for a training center. "If we have land, we can build a training center and you can begin to learn the things you need to know so that you can return to self-sufficiency. Let's pray together for land!"
Even as I spoke these words, and the widows began to clap and sing, my mind was asking "How? Where? When?" Moments later, God answered these questions. As the governor addressed the crowd, he said "I have seen what Sister Connection is doing in this country for the widow and the orphan. The evidence is everywhere. They say they need land in order to teach you. I will give them land!"
Give us land, he did: ten acres of prime real estate on the side of a mountain, the mountain we now call Mt. Hope. I've told you about the House of Joy, the first step in our dream for Mt. Hope. Let me share our next steps.
- A training center that seats 600-800 people in a large auditorium, with multiple smaller meeting rooms. Not only will we use this building for children camps, training seminars, and retreats, but we will rent this facility to other organizations, thereby generating income for our operations.
- A vocational school for the younger widows and young adults of Sister Connection who were unable to attend school during the war.
- Transitional orphan homes for children who lose their mothers and need some nurture and care before we place them in a closely monitored foster/adoptive home within their communities.
- Dormitories to house widows and orphans attending extended training sessions
- A guest house for visiting teams and trainers
- Staff housing for full-time and visiting staff
- A health center, including a basic clinic and hygiene training
I often use the words "training" and "self-sufficiency" in the same sentence. It's because they are inextricably connected. For people living in the Western world, "self-sufficiency" generally refers to an income-generating business. This isn't usually the case for subsistence farmers, which make up the majority of Burundians and our widows. Self-sufficiency for them is as basic as sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry. That's why Sister Connection is planning to teach new forms of sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry on Mt. Hope. Widows and young people will see it, engage in it during teaching sessions, and be mentored through the process of implementing new practices in their own gardens. This will enable so many of our widows to achieve self-sufficiency, particularly those who are not candidates for full-fledged micro-enterprise.
For the young adults of Sister Connection, we want to equip them with skilled trades, including auto mechanics, bicycle/motorcycle repair, welding, plumbing, electrical, hotel management (using our own facility for training), cleaning/maintenance/laundry (for hotels), secretarial and administrative assistance skills, bookkeeping, paramedical (lab technicians, midwives, medical assistants), and food services.
We are developing Mt. Hope as funds are provided. There will be no debt along the way. When funds come in, we proceed. When funds are depleted, we pause. At the moment, the foundation for our first dormitory has been installed, which will be a 4-bedroom, 4-bath facility that will house 32 widows for extended training sessions. The itemized cost to complete the dorm is shown in the accompanying list. At the moment, construction has paused as we await additional funds. Together, we can complete this dorm before the rains come in October.
Construction Cost for Dorm
Foundation/excavation work $2,155.00
Concrete Work $4,060.00
Masonry $1,775.00
Coiling and roofing $4,900.00
Coating work $5,885.00 (Sand/cinder block $1,200, Concrete form $2,135, Floor and walls $2,550)
Door/window frame $3,075.00
Installation work $3,710.00 (Power supply $2,085, Sanitary installation $1,625)
Painting work $1,775.00
Yard work/misc $1,915.00
Total cost to complete dorm $29,250.00
Names are important in Burundian culture. A child who is considered a gift from God is also named "Gift from God". A child who is born to a mother overwhelmed by too many children is also named "There are many". We named Mt. Hope with the same intentionality. A mountain where hope not just abides, but exudes. This mountain is a beacon of hope. Hope for widows, hope for orphans, hope for a nation that is turning its heart to God and being profoundly affected by their growing understanding that widows and orphans matter to the Most High.
