Immaculée Mukasine and her daughter survived the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, but her husband and 45 members of her extended family were killed.

Shortly after the killings started, she carried her four-month-old daughter and together with her husband, they fled to hide in the hills after they were denied entry at the Burundian border. Unfortunately, her husband was killed not long after.

She spent four months in Huye District wandering in the wooded area, till soldiers of the Rwanda Patriotic Army rescued her.

A resident of Rurangazi cell, Nyagisozi sector, Nyanza District, the 57-year-old returned to her home area with her daughter in 1995 but upon return, Mukasine found all her property had been destroyed, including crops, house and cattle.

In the face of depression over losing her loved ones and unsure of what the future held, Mukasine decided to forgive the perpetrators who killed her relatives and anyone who was involved in destroying their property, and never asked for compensation.

Even though she did not have any money or property, she refused to beg. She relied on Rwf 120 she earned per day cultivating people’s land to raise her daughter.

She says that inspiration came when messages from officials on radio encouraged Rwandans to work harder. She decided to start growing bananas on her family’s damaged land.

Currently, Mukasine owns a farm, hectares of banana plantations and two rental houses. Every month, she earns at least Rwf 70,000 from bananas, Rwf 60,000 from rent, and over Rwf 100,000 from selling milk. To the people around her, she is a successful woman and a role model to other Genocide widows. How she started

Mukasine’s residential area was known for bananas and she got motivated to start growing the plant. In 1997, she started making profits from the bananas and was able to build a house — she had previously been living with a neighbour. A family friend gave her two cows and she was able to fertilise the land and multiply the crops.

Mukasine soon borrowed money and built commercial houses in Nyanza town. She employs four permanent staff who work on the banana plantation and look after the cattle. Inspiring other widows

Mukasine’s hard work to rebuild herself and become self- reliant inspired other widows. She advised them to create a savings group where they contribute as little as Rwf 100 per month to support one another in terms of health insurance, as well as solving family basic needs.

The widows created ‘Duterimbere Savings Group’ and Mukasine was elected the president. According to Mukasine, rebuilding herself seemed completely impossible having lost all her family’s property.

Later on, the group grew to nine members made of Genocide widows, who received support of Rwf 1 million from the Genocide Survivors Fund three years ago. The support helped them start small businesses like selling beans and vegetables.

Mukasine says the group has effectively changed the lives of the beneficiaries.

"Within three years, our group has been beneficial to us all. We started small businesses and the widows’ living conditions have improved significantly. They are now self-reliant and financially stable. The beneficiaries also own livestock and are able to pay for health insurance without relying on other people,” she says.

Kezia Mukeshimana, who was inspired to join the group, says that her life has changed for better, economically and emotionally, since she joined.

"The group works as a platform to share our life experience as well as help one another become economically strong. The group has enabled me to pay for health insurance on time. It is not easy for women to singlehandedly manage a family, but I can testify that it is possible if one has confidence and a vision of where they want to be,” she says. Mukasine advises other Genocide survivors to forgive perpetrators. "We are proud of our present. Our past was terrible but today we sing unity. This is a great move that everyone should be supportive of. Our history should not discourage us; instead, we have to work hard to rebuild what was destroyed. We lost our relatives and property but we have restored our hope to live longer and happier,” she says.

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