National Doctor Housing Project

by Jess Cropsey

One of the most recent projects to be completed here at Kibuye is the national doctor housing project.  Previously, the team of Burundian doctors that works with us were living in some pretty outdated missionary homes.  We have always wanted to have Burundian professionals living and working closely with us, so we decided to build a new housing complex for them next to our new houses.  These houses were completed during the summer, and the work crew has been doing some landscaping over the last couple of weeks which made me want to grab my camera and share a few shots with you.

This is the first unit, closest to the entrance gate, and it is currently occupied by Dr. Wilson, the Medical Director (see photo below).  We are thrilled that his wife Jeanine & young son decided to move here to Kibuye from Bujumbura.  Many professional families live apart because it is difficult to find work in the same place and most of the Kibuye doctors travel back to Bujumbura on the weekends to be with their families.  Jeanine is now a full-time language instructor in English, Kirundi, & French, primarily for many of us.  

This is the same unit viewed from the entrance gate.  The small building is a cookhouse & storage place for food & other items.  

The unit below is the middle unit in the triplex.  It has a shared dining room space for all the single doctors or those whose families live elsewhere.  They tend to eat their meals together.  There are also two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room that is currently being used by two single male doctors.  (You can see the McLaughlin house in the far right of the picture.)

This is the 3rd unit and it is just opposite the McLaughlin’s house.  We made this unit into two separate single units, each with their own living room, bathroom, and bedroom.  We wanted the versatility of single units for different doctors that might come along like a married couple with no children or a single female.

We are really happy with how these turned out and hope that having these new neighbors will give us more opportunities to fellowship with our Burundian colleagues.  A special thanks to all of you who gave financially to make this project possible!