ROSINE Uwamahoro met her ex-boyfriend online. After a few meetups, the chemistry was undeniable, she fell for him. She felt loved and thought she had found paradise— sadly, not for long as three months later, he texted, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ With no alert or reason for that matter, he signed out of what she thought was a commitment and she was left hanging. As the saying goes, ‘fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me’, Uwamahoro felt like a fool as the same guy left her for another woman—again—even after she had taken him back the moment he came with apologies. Heartbreak, despair, self-hate, dismal childhood memories, courage, healing, and changing the narrative, which is basically the story of Uwamahoro’s life, all feature in her new book ‘Build Yourself Up: Ideas that changed my life’. As she shares the ideas that changed her life, she hopes to do what she has always done best, influence others into positive thinking. Uwamahoro, like many other post-Genocide generation people, grew up hearing heart-rending stories from immediate and distant families. In an attempt to erase the sadness around her, she wanted to become the shoulder others would lean on. In addition to her keen listening skills, she also started sharing quotes to lift the spirits of those suffering via her Instagram page. As people kept reaching out for a sympathetic ear, the 24-year-old channelled her efforts into becoming a social media influencer. However, as she likes to say, life wanted her elsewhere. Uwamahoro ended up pursuing educational studies due to the fact that her parents could not afford to pay for her preferred course, business, and finance, at the university. Forced to take on the only presented options, her hobbies and talent helped her survive those years, she says. Being shy, writing became the young author’s way of expression. From quotes to blogs, she knew she would want to write a book someday. “When I was going through the heartbreak, I was really in a dark place. I started writing as a way of therapy, but later I thought it could be a book. Something real, that other people would relate to and use to heal as well,” she explains. Uwamahoro decided to embrace reality and push what she thought were her limits. “I stopped being shy and decided to make use of my studies as an educator. I didn’t have to be one thing, I could still influence people,” she continues. Uwamahoro holds a Bachelor’s degree in education with a preference in geography and physics. She works as a secondary school teacher, and launched her first book, on December 2. “My own challenges in school showed me that we still have some gaps in our country’s education system. This is why I’m working on a book that explores the possibilities of merging talent exploitation and the curriculum. This way, hopefully, a school could be both an informative and fun space,” she says. Uwamahoro is also working on an app that will provide a safe space for people going through different trials of life. “It will be a platform for hearing each other out. Not necessarily from professionals, just random strangers offering each other emotional support. Who knows, sometimes, to heal, you just need to speak it out to someone who won’t judge, and maybe a lifetime friendship could come out of it,” she says, adding, “My story is not just for sharing cheers and tears, but encouragement and hope as well.” ‘Build Yourself Up’ costs Rwf 9500 and can be found at Ikirezi Library in Kacyiru, Arise Bookshop in Kimironko, and Charisma located at Kigali Heights. About the book ‘Build Up Yourself: Ideas that changed my life’ was written based on the ideas of how a person can live a life with meaning, a life with a purpose, and a life with a direction even if life would bring disappointment but a person needs to remember that everything happens for a reason and that reason teaches a lesson. The book continues showing different content including Gratitude, Truth, Meditation, Love, Self-healing, Emotions, Energy, Peace, Patience, and Happiness. Source/Amazon
