Centre For Peace and Reconciliation

“...under the thin surface of busy activity and new construction, the scars and pain of barely suppressed memories remain painful and raw…”  Pastor Eddie Mwunvaneza

The Circumstances.  Thirteen years after a one hundred day nightmare when almost one million people died, many at the hands of neighbours and people they considered friends, the majority of those who lived through that time remain emotionally traumatized and deeply wounded.  In fact, much of the hustle and bustle of Rwanda’s capital city Kigali is not being generated by those who endured the one hundred days of genocide: much of the activity is being generated by former refugees, returning home after many years away from their homeland to help rebuild their nation.  They have re-introduced a spirit of liveliness and optimism but for those who lived through the trauma, moving on is no simple task.

Unlike what many believe, the dividing line of the genocide was not tribal.  The fact is that the Rwandese is one people; the labels were merely traditional economic distinctions that were rather benign until they were exploited by colonizing powers as a means to divide and play favorites…to tragic results.

The Challenge.  Even church and community leaders have said openly to Pastor Eddie that they would like to be first in line for counseling for emotional healing.  During our team’s stay in the midst of the lively capital, where road paving and building construction can be seen everywhere, not one person who heard us say “we are hear to design the facilities for a peace and reconciliation ministry”, failed to comment that this will fill a great need in their nation.

The Ministry.  African Link Developments, spear-headed by Eddie and Bonita Mwunvaneza, has a vision for a place where professional counseling for individuals can take place, where families can come together for healing, where vocational training can occur for widows and where activities that involve and bring together a whole community can happen.

Pastor Eddie is himself a former Rwandese refugee.  Raised for a time in Uganda and mostly in Canada, Eddie is burdened with the task of “returning home” to be catalyst in the healing of his nation.  As one who follows Christ, Pastor Eddie knows that healing of the emotion is not enough if there is no healing of the soul.  His aim, therefore, is to bring into the healing process an opportunity to hear and know the Good News.  This is therefore a centre for peace and reconciliation not only of people to people and people with themselves but also a place for spiritual peace and reconciliation as well.

The Task.  The goal of the eMi team was to master plan the 2.3 acre hillside site and design all the required facilities and infrastructure.  Experientially the planning would take advantage of the beautiful sweeping views, the existing vegetation and the natural fall of the land for building placement and the location of pathways to both quiet places of contemplation and prayer as well as places of group activities and sports.  In terms of engineering the team needed to understand the structural as well as absorption capabilities of the soil.  Rwanda is rain forest nation with periodic deluge of very heavy rainfall.  Managing surface water run-off on a hill-side site will be critical; making it part of the architectural design would be a huge bonus.

The Work.  In a week that began with listening to Eddie share his vision, the eMi team then investigated local construction practices and building materials.  The team walked the site numerous times while the surveyor (David) and his helpers (daughter Ashli and intern Philip) began to document its boundaries, topography and features.  Architects Dan and Beth concentrated on site planning and building design while architect/builder Mike looked after material specifications and a construction cost analysis.  Structural Engineer Phil work closely with the architects to establish the structural systems of the buildings (in the end three types were used) while Civil Engineers Rod and Joyce analyzed the soil and the water and designed both the fresh water and waste water systems.  As for me I coordinated all events of the week as I did my best to find a balance between research, work, ministry, team devotional time and simple relaxation.  And yes, we found time to buy souvenirs for our families back home.

The Ministry. Besides the fundamental need to complete our task a huge part of eMi is ministry time.  This essentially means time spent with the local population, to care for needs and share our time and attention.  For us this was often as simple as playing with the neighbourhood kids at the property.  All of us visited an orphanage and a home for abandoned children with mental and physical challenges.  While there we gave away clothing, foodstuff and lots of stickers and even candy.  Most of all we gave our hands and arms to hold, even if it was just for a while during that day.

Some of us met with a group of young adults who were encouraged by our desire and willingness to travel halfway around the world to come alongside Pastor Eddie in his ministry.  A few of us spent time teaching widows how to make jewelry with simple found materials (hey, they were really beautiful!) so that they could earn some money.  We visited two genocide memorial sites and stayed a while to interact with the local children.  And in all this we tried to learn some local greetings, to make an effort to really be in the place and not merely passersby.  We got laughed at a lot for our efforts but it was always in good spirit as our efforts were appreciated.

The Results.  The team did a fantastic job all week.  It had been an emotionally challenging week but everybody found the strength to remain focused on our task.  In the end Pastor Eddie sat silently and absorbed our Final Presentation.  In the end we were pleased because he was pleased.  At eMi was often say: “in the end, it’s not about a building.”  Although very true, our primary task as a group of professionals is to deliver the right design.  I am proud of the work of the team as they designed a counseling/guest house center, a vocational training centre, a beautiful multipurpose building with traditional Rwandese influences and a staff-housing block.  Also on the site are several gazebos in quiet locations, a grassed play area for kids, a basketball/group activities court, car parking that is out of view and a delightful surface drainage system that integrates with the site circulation with little bridges.

My Experience.  This was an emotionally and even spiritually difficult and at times very painful trip.  By mid-week after visiting the genocide memorial sites I found myself despairing and almost wishing to leave.  But Pastor Eddie kept telling us: “The story is not finished.  You are here to continue the story with healing, reconciliation and hope.”  His constant reminder re-invigorated me and our team and we were able to complete our task with praise and thanksgiving.

Project Photos.  A new set of photos has been uploaded to my Photo Gallery for this project, so click here (Photo Gallery) and see the Kigali, Rwanda set with a slideshow (click the middle of the photo for commentary).  If you want to spend a little more time looking and reading click here in Details (Photo Details).  Check it out and see what your support and encouragement has produced in the work of this team. “Thank you” to all our prayer and financial supporters for making this project a reality.

Rwanda Centre For Peace and Reconciliation

History. Rwanda has long been considered one of the most scenic, lush and beautiful countries on the continent of Africa. However, in April of 1994, an unspeakable horror broke out in this small, land-locked nation. In a rampage of genocide that split down tribal lines 800,000 people were killed in just 100 days. This was no invading army or faceless pilots dropping bombs from the sky. These were roaming bands of Rwanda’s own citizens and the killings were often brutal scenes of neighbours killing neighbours, most dying within arms length of their machete bearing executioners.













ALD Missionary Eddie Mwunvaneza (r)

Consequences. Beyond the many who were killed, a few hundred thousand Rwandans fled their homes and were displaced. But many on both sides of the conflict returned. When killers and those whom they sought to kill suddenly become neighbours once more, how can they possibly live again in such close proximity? How does one heal from the physical as well as the deep emotional, psychological and spiritual wounds? With a justice system capable of bringing neither true peace nor reconciliation, healing itself becomes slow and painful.

Healing. After 14 years, Rwanda has made measured strides to keep moving forward even as it heals from within. But the personal, inner challenges of its citizens continue and a number of Christian ministries have been born from these these times to help people seek true peace and reconciliation. African Link Developments (www.africanlinkdevelopments.com) is one such group.

Ministry. In applying for an eMi team to help them design their Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, African Link Developments (ALD) stated as its Purpose:

“To strengthen the church in the war torn country of Rwanda, still wounded by the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. The ministry will train pastors and provide trauma counseling resources. We hope to bring healing to the nation through providing counseling, reconciliation and tolerance training for often desperate people, especially widows and orphans, who can also be supported through skills training.”













A Piece of Land with Many Possibilities

For true healing to take place, God must be present, experienced, and known. The one who's name is Healer must be in the centre, in the midst, of true and genuine healing. Then there is a need for the practical, pragmatic tools with which to live and so there will be counselling, education and vocational training. ALD has raised enough funds to purchase a 3 acre parcel of land and now the next step is to build a facility, a place of ministry. Our eMi Canada team will produce a site master plan for their raw piece of land and design the buildings for a training/counseling centre, residences for orphans (with widows as guardians) and a school for the children.

More Info. See the side bar for a link to the project description on the www.emiworld.org website. If you are curious what participating on an eMi team looks like, click on the video “A Project Week with eMi”. Thank you to each of you who are involved by supporting me, my family and the work of eMi with your financial and prayer support.

Redevelopment of Galmi Hospital in Niger

The Doctors. The missionary doctors and medical staff of SIM’s Galmi Hospital in Niger do some amazing work. After almost 50 years of striving to provide the best health care possible, Galmi Hospital is considered the top medical and surgical hospital in this country of 10 million people. They do all this despite working in a facility where the main hospital building is almost 50 year old. Even the best conceived and best built 50 year old hospitals in North America are considered tired and outdated. In the harsh conditions bordering the Sahara Desert with its sandstorms and daily temperatures hovering in the mid-40’s Celsius, no building stands a chance. Add in narrow corridors, dim lighting, stale air and resulting smells that assault the senses and the great work done here becomes all the more remarkable.

The Hospital. Niger is one of the poorest nations on earth and we saw it first hand. I would reflect later that it was one of the most emotionally difficult trips I have ever been a part of. The poverty was staggering and the needs beyond comprehension. However, even as we observed the challenging conditions, including the over-whelming number of out-patients (up to 300 per day) and witnessed the crushing need and palpable despair, something else was slowly being revealed. After arriving on Saturday evening we had first met the missionary doctors, administrators and their families on Sunday during a potluck lunch but on Monday we saw many of them in action in and around the hospital. Rather than being repulsed, as we initially were, the doctors moved easily in and among the people. Holding hands, touching arms, speaking softly: we saw love in action that moved us deeply. For the remainder of the week as we worked to create redevelopment plans for the hospital and interacted with the local population we faced a similar challenge: living out God’s love with grace and sensitivity while dealing with our task at hand with professionalism, efficiency and integrity.

The Team. We began with our survey crew documenting the property boundaries and all existing site features while others hand-measured all the existing buildings. We investigated local building materials and construction practices. We met with administrators, doctors and reps from the national staff. We walked every inch of the property to understand its network of water and power systems and dug holes to test the soils: we were building the foundation for proposing a comprehensive redevelopment strategy.

But during the work week we also set aside time to pray together, study God’s Word, go to local church services, visit the market, play with children and pray with patients. Some of these precious moments brought smiles, some brought tears while others brought both. Each night the last lights were not turned off and our laptop screens did not go dim until the early morning hours.

The Results. Saturday morning was our Final Presentation to all missionary staff both administrative and medical. We explained how a redeveloped facility would have more natural light, catch prevailing winds for natural ventilation, repel the hot sun and have spacious corridors. We talked about how patients would have access to fresh air and a place to sit in shade outside their rooms. We assured them that even though the redevelopment would take several design and construction phases, eMi promised to return as often as needed and be the common thread to re-tune the master plan if needed and conduct detailed design for each subsequent new building. Our presentation was met with hope and optimism.

It will always be the doctors, the medical staff and the resident evangelists who will foster both temporary and lasting change in the lives of the patients. However, if our new facility creates a better work environment for the doctors, medical and support staff and enables a more comfortable experience for patients, than our efforts will be called a success.

Project Photos. A new set of photos has been uploaded to my Photo Gallery for this project, so click here (Photo Gallery) and see the Galmi Hospital set with a slideshow. If you want to read a description of each photo, you can also take a look at the photos in Details (Photo Details). Check it out and see what your support and encouragement has produced in the work of this team. "Thank you" to all our prayer and financial supporters for making projects such as this a reality.

Back to Africa in the Fall

Project 5445 - Galmi Hospital for SIM in Niger
Redevelopment of a 110 bed surgical hospital.
September 26 - October 9

Niger has been ranked the poorest nation in the world by the United Nations. This land-locked country in western Africa sits on the edge of the Sahara Desert and has few natural resources to its benefit. Average life expectancy at birth is 41 years. 12% of its newborn’s die before their first birthday. The doctor/population ratio is one doctor for every 30,000 citizens. In such a difficult environment, SIM has spent more then 50 years meeting compassionate medical care needs through the Galmi Hospital. With 110 beds for inpatient care this surgical hospital also cares for up to 300 men, women and children at their on-site outpatient clinic every day.

But the buildings and the supporting infrastructure (water, power, waste management) are literally crumbling. The whole hospital complex is in need of major repair and reconstruction. However, some major challenges exist in undertaking a reconstruction project on such a busy, fully functioning hospital. How can most of the facilities be kept operational while portions are undergoing redevelopment? How can a scattering of ancillary buildings be incorporated into a new facility in a logical, pragmatic manner? How can a reorganization of the overall site Master Plan be done to free up land for potential expansion of medical services? How is the existing infrastructure to be rebuilt and reorganized to become efficient at meeting current needs while being capable of accommodating potential increases in medical services, such as the addition of more outpatient and inpatient clinics?














The mandate of our eMi team of volunteer design professionals is to listen to the needs of the hospital and within our project week, to produce a vision and supporting documentation for the overall redevelopment and reconstruction of Galmi Hospital. We will present to them a phasing plan for a step by step redevelopment of the hospital and produce construction documents that will help them build it. With our team actually going to Niger we will be able to see, understand and incorporate local materials and construction methods. We will also be able to dialogue continuously with SIM administrators as well as the medical and support staff to receive direct input and feedback during our project week.

Please pray for sensitivity, open ears, open hearts and open minds as we put the best of our professional skills to the task of blessing this ministry and the innumerable patients this hospital will be witness to in displaying the love, care and concern first demonstrated by our Lord Jesus. He lived out His very commands to us, time and time again, to love the poor, heal the sick and feed the hungry. Our efforts will extend this compassion in a very real way to the people of Niger through the work of SIM and the staff of Galmi Hospital.














See the side bar for a link to the www.emiworld website for the project description. If you are curious what participating on an eMi team looks like, click on the video A Project Week With eMi. Thank you to each of you who are involved by supporting me, my family and the work of eMi with your financial and prayer support.