Women Today’s Doreen Umutesi visited Mother of the Year, Maria Yohana Mukankuranga. She received the honour during the Mother’s Day celebrations at Kigali Serena Hotel on May 12, 2013. 

Her tips and life lessons complete a picture of a successful mother figure who should be emulated. 

"Young future mothers should know that they have a big role to play ahead of them. The foundation of a family is built on a mother and young women should always emulate the mother figure in their life. I’m that kind of mother today thanks to my mother,” Mukankuranga said.

She explained that mothers uplift their children based on what they teach them and the encouragement they provide. 

"My mother taught me to always go for what I believe in because that way, I will live a happy life. I can say I’m happy with what I have achieved today,” she expressed. 

When presenting her with the Mother of the Year award, Senator Narcisse Musabeyezu said that Mukankuranga was a very influential person in the lives of most children in refugee camps given the fact that she was teacher. 

"It was very hard for me to believe that the children could remember me as their mother and actually reward me. I taught them several things besides class work. I taught them about the Rwandan culture, how to sing and dance as well as reminding them that the camp was not our home. There are several mothers out there who would have deserved the award but I felt blessed and loved that I was chosen. I tried to be strong during the whole event but when I reached home I broke down and cried because it was too much for me but I was so happy,” she said with teary eyes. 

The 70-year-old Mukankuranga currently lives with her two nephews.  Her husband and three children passes on. 

Her two sons died during the liberation struggle while her daughter and husband died when they returned to Rwanda. 

"As parents, especially mothers, the most trying time is when we lose our children. I remember before my daughter died she asked me to be strong all the time. God has helped me. Today I have so many children. For example during my time at Kimisagara Youth Centre in 1997, I was able to collect street children and help them get back to school and lead a proper life. Two years ago one of them got married and on this special day in his life, he recognised me as his mother. These are the moments I will live to cherish,” Mukankuranga narrated.

Away from home

She was born on December 5th, 1943 in the current Kibungo District in the Eastern Province. In 1961 she was forced to exile in Mbarara, Uganda at a Refugee Camp called Nshungerezi where she stayed until 1994 when she returned to Rwanda. 

"I had just given birth to my first born. After eight days, our house was attacked and we ran out and hid in the nearby bush. Our house was burnt to the ground at around 2am. While hiding, because the bush was wet with dew, when the dew covered my son’s face, he cried. I immediately breast fed him and we started running again since the attackers had heard him cry,” she recalled.

She added, "At some point the hill became slippery that I had to remove my shoes inorder not to slip and fall down with my son. When we reached the main road, luckily we saw a car and my husband risked and waved it down. We were offered a lift to Kigali. While in Kigali, we were able to board the trucks that were taking people to Uganda as refugees and that’s how I ended up in Nshungerezi.” 

"On this day we would sing, dance and reminisce and tell the children about our real home, Rwanda. We kept telling them that we would go back one day. I’m happy today we are in our motherland although we had to go through a lot to get here,” she revealed. 

In 2007, she was also awarded the Liberation Struggle Medal by the President for her role in the struggle. 

She composed several songs that acted as morale boosters during the Liberation Struggle. She is also the brain behind the famous song ‘Intsinzi bana b’uRwanda.’

Although she still composes songs, the soft spoken Mukankuranga retired from teaching but stays at home making amazing crafts for cultural ceremonies.

"I usually go to the studios to compose songs for the commemoration period because I respect it. I also tend to make crafts which I can sell to keep busy as well as interact with the youth because I get many people that come to visit my nephews. I would love to advise the youth to always be hopeful in whatever they do. For instance if at my age I always try my level best to strive for self-reliance, they can do the same,” she concluded.