There is nothing that beats the feeling of satisfaction, of accomplishment than helping somebody rediscover their lives. That is what happened in The New Times offices this week when a campaign it helped publicize ended with a 28-year-old Genocide survivor finally discovering her relatives after more than a quarter-century searching. One can say it was a stroke of luck; someone saw her photo and an uncanny resemblance. At the end of the day, a DNA test solved the puzzle when it matched with someone who happened to be her uncle, her late mother’s brother. It is a story that ended like a fairytale only that there was no magic involved, however, it does raise some questions; what can be done to countless other people like her who grew up not knowing their relatives? There can be nothing worse than being stripped of one’s identity, walking along with a name that was not given by one’s parents. Luckily in the case above, the young lady not only found loads of relatives, but she also discovered her true names. There was talk in the past of having a DNA database of all Rwandans, but there should be one before that ambitious plan is rolled out, one of similar people who grew up with no identities and families. It is not too late to put in place some sort of contact tracing facilities so that many can finally find some closure just like one young lady did, courtesy of a dedicated media. Kudos.
