"Burn survivors are fighters. We fought our injuries and we fight to overcome our daily struggles. The scars we wear on our outside don’t indicate our personalities, the way we interact with others, or any limitations. Our appearance might be changed, but our personalities still shine bright.” (Unknown)

Growing up in Rusororo, Jespere Favour Ishimwe longed to have friends or at the very least, some semblance to a social life. Sadly, hers was a tough experience. As a new-born, a horrific incident left her with severe burn injuries on her face, head, hands—and led to the loss of some of her fingers.

With no concern about what happened to her, students mocked her for her appearance, making school a daunting experience. 

She was a lonely child, and barely connected with others. Wherever she went, people stared at her in a manner that made her feel ‘small’. 

Ishimwe with her two-year-old daughter. Photo/Courtesy

Being so young, she had many questions; mostly, she wanted to know why she looked the way she did. 

Her parents, at the time, never told her what happened. Every time she looked at herself in the mirror, she told herself that dying would’ve been a better option. On many occasions, she thought of suicide. 

Her story

Ishimwe’s parents were overjoyed by the birth of their girl in 2000, but the happiness was short-lived just two days after she was born. 

Her mother put Ishimwe to sleep and stepped out of the house to give her older son a bath. 

Jespere Favour Ishimwe during the interview at The New Times offices. Photos/Willy Mucyo

She left a pot of porridge on a stove in the living room, in a small area where they made their meals. As the porridge boiled, it spilled out of the pot, and splashed on a nearby loose electric socket.

It was almost dark, and her father was seated outside talking to a visitor. From outside, everything looked okay. The fire started from the living room to the bedroom where Ishimwe was sleeping.

On entering the house to pick a towel, her mother was shocked to find part of the house burning. She screamed and called to the father. Ishimwe’s parents called for fire extinguisher services but couldn’t wait for them to arrive. Her father rushed inside and managed to save her.

She was then rushed to Kanombe Military Hospital, but was referred to Kigali Teaching Hospital of Kigali after three days where she was admitted for two years. Her parents sold off property and got loans to cater for the piling bill.

Fortunately, the burns didn’t affect her internally. And after being discharged, she continued with medical care at home. By 2003, she was completely healed. 

She then started school at the age of five at GS Kanombe, and that’s when the cruelty began. 

"Being so young, I lost hope. I didn’t know if the world would ever be fun or welcoming to a girl like me. I felt abnormal and decided to just keep quiet all the time.

"No student tried to befriend me. I was nicknamed "animal”, "horrible” and all sorts of ugly labels you can think of,” Ishimwe says, emotionally.

When she was 13 years old, her parents told her what happened as they believed she was old enough to take it in.

Then in 2019, disaster struck again. One day when Ishimwe who was 19 years old at the time was home alone, a neighbour claimed he wanted to borrow a jerrycan and asked her to bring it over to his house. 

On reaching his house, the man grabbed her and raped her. She tried to scream for help, but no one came to her rescue. After his evil act, the rapist threatened to kill her if she told anyone about what had happened. 

"I bled badly but was so scared to tell anyone about it. The pain was incessant, and after a week, I had to open up to my mother.

"Naturally she was furious because I had kept quiet that long, but she took me to hospital and then called local authorities to arrest the rapist. He is still behind bars,” she says.

Hope

Not long after the rape, Ishimwe found out that the man had also impregnated her. It was not an easy decision but the way she saw it, the child was a new reason to live, and so she had her baby. 

After giving birth, there were misunderstandings with her parents and she decided to leave home. A friend gave her Rwf 5,000 that she used to purchase a variety of vegetables that she sold and got a little profit.

Ishimwe says she wants to be able to provide every necessity, and works hard to be able to do that. She continues to sell vegetables in Kabuga. 

When she was little, her dream was to act, and recently, she auditioned for a role in a movie titled "Ubumuntu”—which loosely means humanity—by a film company known as The Mirror Group. The movie is yet to be released. She hopes to open up a retail shop of her own for side income once her acting career picks up.  

Along the way, the now 21-year-old also found love after she was made to believe that ‘no man could ever love her’. They have been dating for a year.

Her spirit was lifted when she was encouraged to believe in herself through a sermon by Pastor Junior Shema of Christian Embassy Gasogi.

Although it has been a very rough journey, Ishimwe says that she has left the past behind her, and is now focusing on the future. She has come to terms with it all and in doing so, her self-esteem has been given a boost.

She hopes her story can inspire young people with low self-esteem, rape victims, or anyone with a dark past, and let them know that there is more to life. She urges young people to use their skills to uplift themselves instead of drowning in self-pity.

Ishimwe may be a senior three dropout, but she aspires to continue with her education. She is currently limited by finances, but with support, she is willing to go all the way. 

You can reach Ishimwe on 0785908985