2009 Omega Foundation Oversees
Construction Using National Laborers
Omega Foundation has raised funds and provided professional oversight for building several simple but very much needed structures in central Africa. By providing two American supervisors and hiring all local laborers, a center for reconciliation was built in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, six years after the horrible genocide of 1994. This "Unity Center" provides meeting rooms, dormitories, offices, kitchen and dining facilities for conferences with government, church, and community leaders working for peace and reconciliation between area tribes who are hostile towards each other. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated solely to reconciliation, and it was built in memory of the victims of genocide who can no longer speak for themselves.
In Goma, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), Omega Foundation also provided funds for rebuilding five churches destroyed by volcanic lava flow. More than half of this city of 800,000 was covered by thirty to fifty feet of lava which flowed right down the main street of town from a nearby volcano in January of 2002. Goma was also the sight of genocide and U.N. abuses in the years since 1994. Omega Foundation chose five different denominations for the buildings in order to foster cooperation and reconciliation. Hiring local workers also provided employment for many local residents who had lost everything. This construction was done in 2004 and 2005 and the churches were formally dedicated in June of 2005.
All U.S. personnel who go on these work and teaching projects pay their own expenses and donate their services. All funds raised for the projects go directly for materials and wages to African workers. You can help support this reconciliation project, or future construction projects, by volunteering your time or making a donation of any amount to the Omega Foundation.
