WHEN HE WAS just a teenager, Jean Marie Vianney Bagirishya experienced one of the most difficult situations for a young man of his age. He was regularly arrested on baseless accusations that he was a collaborator of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) which was fighting against the then regime.

That was around 1991 and 1992 and Bagirishya, who was barely 18 then, recalls several incidents which saw him in and out of jail on several occasions. His offence, he reckons was being born Tutsi. 

Several other Tutsi men in Nyamasheke District, Western Province were also arrested over similar accusations, Bagirishya says.

When the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi started, Bagirishya, his family and other Tutsis started being hunted down by machete-wielding militias who had vowed to exterminate them.

For three months, he struggled to evade the killers. He was lucky to survive. However both his parents and many of his siblings did not survive. It was only Bagirishya, the third born in a family of 12, who survived alongside two of his siblings.

After the Genocide, life was  difficult for Bagirishya who had now assumed the role of father to his siblings. He also had the responsibility to look after five close relatives who had survived but whose parents had been killed.

"With virtually nothing, we struggled to live,” Bagirishya recalls.

But he decided not to let the difficult situation overwhelm him.

Around 1995, Bagirishya joined the army but retired after serving for just two years. 

After unsuccessfully trying his luck in Kigali, he returned to his home village in the rural Kagano sector, Nyamasheke and came up with a plan  to improve the living conditions of the area residents.

"Life is a school,” Bagirishya says.

In 1999, he wrote a project proposal detailing his plans to sell bottled beers and soft drinks in his home area. The project value was estimated at Rwf1 million.

Bagirishya managed to secure a loan from the RPF in the then Cyangugu prefecture and started his business.

"RPF was offering short-term loans to members and I successfully applied. That marked the beginning of a new life for me and my family,” Bagirishya, now aged 41, says.

Light at the end 

"With the money, I started my project and as I made profits, I repaid the loan,” Bagirishya notes.

As his business grew, Bagirishya managed to educate his siblings and the other dependants.

Of the seven children, the youngest has already completed secondary school while the others have completed university.

Bagirishya is a happily married father of two and a well-known businessman in his home district. He runs a modern restaurant that hosts a number of social events and meetings.

Bagirishya says commitment, hard-work and good customer care are the secrets behind his business enterprise.

Currently, he is working on a multi-million project to build a modern guest house on the shores of Lake Kivu.

About two years ago, he applied for a loan under the Hanga Umurimo programme and was giver Rwf45 million. He used the money and his savings to start the project.

The facility, which he has already named Ninzi Guest House, stands just metres from Nyamasheke district headquarters on a small hill that overlooks Lake Kivu, giving the visitors a beautiful view of the Lake.

This is the exact place where Bagirishya’s parents lived before they were murdered. So, he believes investing on it is a way of honouring them and fulfilling their dreams but also contributing to the development of the community.

"We are employing several people and giving them a chance to lead better lives,” Bagirishya says.

Upon completion, the guest house will have 24 rooms, a well-equipped restaurant with capacity to host 100 visitors at once and a meeting hall capable of hosting about 600 people.

It will also have gardens where clients will sit and relax.

He estimates the total cost of his investment at over Rwf290 million.

Part of the guest house, comprising the accommodation wing, has already been completed and has started receiving guests. The restaurant is expected to be completed within a week while the remaining parts will be completed before May, according to the owner.

"I am proud of my achievements. I am also happy that I am benefitting not only myself and family but the entire community,” he says.

He tells fellow survivors that it is possible to build a life  after the Genocide despite the many challenges.

"You just have to find the courage within yourself to move on,” he advises.