Rebuilding hope for orphans

Today, and every day, we have an opportunity, an obligation, to create positive change to those who greatly need our help. Such an opportunity faced Colin Emanuel Rutabandama, a priest in the Anglican Church, Ruhanga parish, after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He was surrounded by needy children, survivors and witnesses of the atrocities committed during the Genocide. Six days into the genocide on May 11, 1994, about 4000 people were hiding inside a small Anglican Church in Ruhanga.They had been here for six days and finally their luck run out, the perpetrators had learned of their secret hiding place and came armed with grenades and machetes. Hours later no screams could be heard. Only silence remained the kind that spells death. Ruhanga Parish Arch Deacon Emanuel Rutabandama narrates this account with pain clearly written on his face. “The men came out to try to stop the perpetrators but they were out numbered, they (perpetrators) threw in grenades and petrol burning down what was once a temple. Some people tried to flee but were pulled back into the inferno,” Rutabandama says. He adds that the destruction left behind children survivors who turned to the church for help. Children would come to Colin Emanuel seeking for help. They would say, ‘Pastor we need this and that.’ He wanted to help all the orphans who came to him. Then the idea of constructing homes for the children in Ruhanga came up. “The homes were proposed to be built around the burned down church that was later made into the Ruhanga-Gasabo memorial site,” Rutabandama said. According to him the children frequently visit the memorial site although some are not yet strong enough to do so. “It’s hard for them to even walk near the Memorial Site. It must be the memories of their loss,” Rutabandama sadly says.With the help of Sign Post International and other well wishers the church constructed homes for the orphans between 2002 and 2004.They planned to have 45 houses but have since build 42. “71 children moved into 45 newly constructed houses in 2004.The children were between one and 15 years during the Genocide, now they are a lot older,” Rutabandama explains. The children, he says, were hopeless and homeless and the homes provided a base for them to start over. At a closer look the Ruhanga children headed homes seem like any other neighbourhood but the Memorial Site planted in the middle makes a bystander more inquisitive of why it was built there. Rutabandama remarks, “With the help of local authorities, we have been able to renovate and maintain the memorial site that holds the remains of the victims. It is a reminder of the loss and is there to preserve the history of these people.” The Children Ministry Program Coordinator in Ruhanga, Specioise Mukankusi, says, “When the children first moved in the houses, the oldest of them was about ten years old. They were hurt, sad and traumatized.” Mukankusi explains that at first, the church wanted to give the children just houses but they later realised that would never be enough. “They needed trauma counselling, the houses didn’t have furniture and water. We didn’t have enough food for them. Gradually, with the support of our partners, through art, dance and other fun activities we have been able to help them heal.” The children were also taught to grow their own food in the communal gardens near the homes. “Now the children have enough food from their gardens. Some have bought cattle that provide them milk,” Mukankusi said. The youths are also involved in other economic activities such as bee keeping. They are also sensitized on HIV/Aids and undergo voluntary HIV tests. Ntare Andrew is an orphan of the Genocide and has been living in the homes since 2004. He said, “After the genocide, there were children everywhere, crying, and wandering about with no hope. We had nowhere to turn to, no one to take care of us.” He adds that some children actually went to live with their parents’ killers. “We thank Colin Emanuel who bore the idea of building us homes. Here, we found more than shelter, we found each other. It is true we are orphans but we don’t beg anymore.We grow our food and go to school. ”He adds that there are still many orphans who have no where to stay. The homes can’t accommodate everyone. “Because we have received help, we hope that we too can help those less privileged,” says Ntare. He also says that him and his fellow survivors hope to give their children a better life by working hard now to achieve their dreams. “We don’t regret moving on from our loss. We want more for our children.” Rusororo Sector Executive Secretary John Rucibiganjo said that though these children have found a home there remains so much to be done. “These children have been through a lot. Here, they live next to their parents’ grave. It’s traumatizing for them and they hence need our support.” He points out that the Memorial Site needs to be maintained and people should come in to partner with the church so as to help in its upkeep. “Rwandans should put some funds aside to help people in similar situations. In the end, we are all Rwandans and we need each other.” The oldest of the children is now in university, others have joined vocational training institutes. Others are still in secondary and primary schools. The orphans of the Genocide are more than their parents’ legacy, they are our own and we need to do more to ensure they grow with opportunities that their parents will never be able to give them. The question is; how do we do this? We could start by making sure that “never again” isn’t an empty slogan, but also a call to action. We can’t afford to be bystanders but sources of solutions of the scourges of our time. We are stronger than what has happened because we hold the solutions in us. Email pgathoni@gmail.com