The beautiful Center Uhai Kikyo sits prominently on top of a hill at the north end of Butembo. Already in a gorgeous lush setting, the buildings and grounds are immaculate and are the nicest we have come across in Congo. They must have received significant financial assistance to build. This Centre served as the location for the 2008 Healing Streams trauma counselling seminars.
Center Uhai Kikyo units
Our unit complete with hot water!
Dining hall at the Center Uhai Kikyo
Fine dining at the Center Uhai Kikyo
On our arrival, we watched a bride and groom walk towards the reception hall. It must be the Casa Loma of Butembo.
It’s history isn’t as pretty. During the Congo War, instead of a hotel and conference centre, there were military barracks. It was the scene of a civilian massacre with many people buried alive on the hill. Afterwards, people refused to go up the hill due to the evil spirits. Local Baptists wanted to cleanse the hill of this history and arranged to buy the hill and create the Center.
Uhai = life. Kikyo = rest, or to be at rest.
We were told that the inability to purchase alcohol has had a major impact on creating a lack of traffic, which is incredibly unfortunate. It’s the only place we’ve been to in Congo with reliable running hot water and we’d take that over a beer any time.
Bens in Congo 
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