Birambye Lodge

L'Esperance Aid Rwanda operates the Children's Village Kigarama, an orphanage in Western Rwanda with 105 children. Once these children reach the age of 18, they are asked to leave the orphanage. Numerous problems have risen in helping these children become successful adults. Many of them have little to no education or financial means of supporting themselves once they leave.

Victor Monroy, Director of Children's Village Kigarama, holds a vision of a sustainable society and a brighter future for the children that leave the orphanage. After visiting the orphanage and meeting Victor, Birambye Internation President, Mark Reiner agreed to kickstart this project.

Birambye International will help plan and develop a lodge with the Children's Village Kigarama Orphanage can operate and manage. The project will provide the economic self-sufficiency that will nurture the intellectual, spiritual, social and physical growth of the children, while supporting the harmonic stewardship of the environment.

PROJECT GOALS

• Self-sufficiency in four years at the Birambye Lodge (BL).
• Visiting Children’s Village Kigarama Orphanage (CVKO) to participate together in the planning of the project.
• Evaluating the costs and benefits of BL for the orphans at CVKO.
• Sustainable technology transfer to CVKO
  • Fuel from waste using biogas digesters
  • Water extracted from Lake Kivu and UV purified
  • Power from wind
  • Sustainable material usage at BL
  • Structural Frame: Bamboo with Thin-Shell Concrete Joints (image)
  • Core: Thin-Shell concrete Shell (image)
  • Finish: Woven Interior, Thatch Exterior (image)
  • For BL, awareness of the local city of Mugenero that fits into the greater regions of Rwanda, the Congo and Africa as a unique sustainable experience.
  • BL is located on an inlet of Lake Kivu in Rwanda. Guests will arrive by boat, where people fish for sambosa and trade goods to local residents. (image)
  • The ORTPN’s “Tourism Development Strategy for Rwanda” suggests pairing the gorilla-viewing of Volcanoes National Park and the chimpanzees of Nyungwe. The circuit will follow a trip up Lake Kivu with a stop at BL (image)
  • The Birambye team entered the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction Competition (February 2008), below are the fields of sustainability described in the submission:
    • Quantum change and transferability
    • Ethical standards and social equity
    • Ecological quality and energy conservation
    • Economic performance and compatibility
    • Contextual and aesthetic impact
  

  Director, Victor Monroy, and orphans of Children's Village Kigarama

  Children's Village Kigarama, Rwanda
  http://www.lesperancerwanda.org