Our interview was done over the phone but even then, it was easy to sense Emmanuella Mahoro’s grit and composure.

As a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, she believes that the ink never really dries on any of our experiences. This is why she looks back at her past with a light and mended heart.

The 35-year-old says what ultimately got her through the sad times of loss and grief was her single-minded determination to live contrary to what her perpetrators aimed for — she chose life.

She was only 10 years old when the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi left her an orphan. Both her parents were killed right before her eyes. Her youngest brother who was asleep in the house was smashed against a wall and buried alive — he was only four years old. 

With her 14-year-old sister and older brother, they made a run for it when the killers were inside the house stealing property. 

Sadly, her sister was eventually captured, gang raped, murdered and discarded off on the streets. With her brother, they escaped the wrath of killers on that fateful day. 

They survived by hiding in bushes, but unfortunately, the killers eventually caught up with them. On this particular day, as they waited to breathe their last, two young Hutu men who were friends of their family came to their rescue.

"These men were known fighters in the village, everybody feared and respected them. When they heard that the killers were going to execute us, they came quickly and ordered them not to harm us. This is how we were saved, they later hid us at their home but when it became too risky for us, they transferred us to an old man’s place who was hiding Tutsis in Kabgayi. That’s where we stayed until the RPA came to rescue us.”

For years, memories of these harrowing events haunted her. She felt dejected by the universe that had claimed lives of those she loved most. 

"I was bitter, I remember I was a very quiet and sad child. I had so many questions and no answers,” she says.

But after the Genocide, she found her second family with SOS Children’s Village Byumba, an orphanage she commends for giving her a second chance at life. Slowly by slowly, she began piecing her broken heart. 

"At SOS in Byumba, they took good care of us, fed and educated us, they ensured that we got a chance at another life by helping us overcome the trauma.”

Reaching out to others 

Her life at the orphanage opened new chapters that led her to where she is now. With a scholarship from the government, Mahoro was able to get a degree in psychology and she uses her skills to reach out to other survivors, among other people in need of her services. 

She works with ADEPR Church and volunteers with Mizero Care Foundation, an organisation that aims at helping the youth recover from wounds caused by the Genocide.

And now, as a mother of two, she has come to believe that the most important thing the world needs is love. 

She reflects this on all the people she crossed paths with in the Genocide aftermath, whom she says did everything for her but most of all loved her, something she says helped her a lot in overcoming her suffering.

She recalls this particular moment in high school when her trauma almost forced her to give up on education. But a nun (who was also the head of the school) reached out to her and offered her a shoulder to lean on.

"Her act alone of showing that she was there for me meant so much. At that time, everything seemed to be coming back to me, I wondered who I was and why I was an orphan. It was at this point, that she brought me closer and gave me space to open up. She devoted her time to my healing and motivated me to become better. And slowly by slowly she helped me deal with my trauma, I studied and passed, that’s how I managed to get a university scholarship,” she recounts. 

And because of this, Mahoro believes that for one to deal with their difficulties, there is a part they need to play, but there is also a role people can play.

 "My director used to tell me that I was able and that I could become someone if I work hard at it, and this encouraged me. 

"Helping someone doesn’t require a lot, loving someone with all your heart can be enough to change someone’s life,” she adds.

Her faith in God also played a big role in her healing, she says.

"Trusting God helped me a lot, I learnt that God is a parent and He is always there for us. Because of Him, I was able to forgive those who wronged us.”

Mahoro accepted her past but has vowed to use her experience to help others. 

"My experience and how others helped me encouraged me to study psychology. I realised that whereas I lost my family and that I was hurting, so many other people had similar pain and they needed someone to help them. They needed someone to listen to them as they poured out their hearts out, that’s when I decided to study psychology,” she reveals.

Through her duties, she believes she is tremendously contributing to the country’s growth and healing, something she says is helping her fulfil her dreams.

"I love my profession because when I help someone to heal, when I help someone who was on the verge of committing suicide but instead chooses to live, this motivates me to work harder. This is my way of contributing to our country’s development.”