Masterplanning at Kibuye

By Jason

I have recently returned to France after an exciting 10 days in Burundi with an EMI engineering/architecture team, putting together a 20-year plan for Kibuye Hope Hospital.  As the work began, we were not sure whether the university and hospital leadership would be available for collaboration, since our primary contact, Bishop Elie, had just passed away 3 weeks before, but the leaders who are filling the sizable gap that he left are doing a phenomenal job.  We couldn't have asked for more engagement and interest from the leaders of the university, hospital, and church as we set out to create a master plan.  What a great time it was to get to know many future colleagues.  The picture below shows the EMI team and those involved from the leadership of the university, church and hospital.

During the 10 days we worked together in country, the team of extremely competent engineers and architects from multiple specialties and countries worked hard to identify current and projected needs for electricity, water, sewage, buildings, roads, patient volume, hospital flow, natural light, ventilation, and so much more.  As we worked together in the same room you could hear comments such as "What if we use a roof monitor to get light into this corridor?" "Which instruments need an isolated ground?" "What if we move the entrance over here?" and "I think we have to move from seepage pits to lagoons."

By the end of our time there, we had developed a draft master plan for the 62-acre site.  We will all spend the next many weeks refining that plan which is pictured below.  (The existing buildings are hashed and the non-hashed buildings would be new construction).  It is a massive plan no doubt, which calls to mind a quote from William Carey: "Expect great things from God.  Attempt great things for God."

For the hospital itself, I have posted below a rendering of what currently exists(top), and then what we are proposing for long-term expansion (bottom).  The green buildings happen to be the old vs. new Operating Rooms and surgery ward space.

Finally, I didn't take many pictures myself, thinking that I would just copy the pictures from the others at the end of the trip.  In retrospect I should have known that when you travel with a team of engineers, their pictures tend to look something like this:

Many, many thanks to all the EMI team members and their families who sacrificed to be a part of this trip.  Your efforts are very much appreciated.