Mainstory: The nightmare continues: Life four months after the earthquake

Rusizi- To Faustin Gahamanyi, 42, Saturday February 3, 2008 will forever stand out in his memory. What started out as a normal day at his home took a chaotic twist for the worse when a powerful earthquake hit his home in Western Province. “It was hell. We were eating and laughing but suddenly, normal life came to an end,” Gahamanyi narrates in an interview early this week. Gahamanyi is a resident of Bushenge sector, Nyamasheke district in Western Province. He is one of the earthquake victims. After four months, the horrible tragedy still lives on. Lying on his bed at Gihundwe hospital in Rusizi, he occasionally turns and folds his arms in pain. In hospital, Gahamanyi was examined and his backbone had been broken. His eyes are red and sometimes release a stream of tears. “I don’t know exactly how many months or years I will spend here. The good thing is that I have a strong will,” he adds managing a light smile. Gahamanyi was in church when the earthquake struck. He comments on the irony of being struck down while in church praying. On Sunday February 3, a series of earthquakes struck Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The most powerful earthquakes occurred within hours of one another with magnitudes of 6.1 and 5.0 respectively. At least 23 people died instantly. The first hit was at about 9.35 a.m., 20km from Bukavu and the second quake came just under three-and-a-half hours later, slightly closer Bukavu but in Rwandan territory. Gahamanyi was badly hit and immediately was paralysed. He has been at this hospital four months and his future looks bleak. He speaks with a lot of pain. “I lay here all the day. And I don’t see myself going back home. It is hell here,” he told Sunday Magazine early this week. Before the quake Gahamanyi loved to attend his farm and was an adult education teacher in the area. “One woman died instantly at that church. Over 20 were injured,” Gahamanyi remembers. He says he is lucky to be a live. After the tragedy, Gahamanyi was airlifted to King Faisal Hospital in Kigali. After some major treatment, he was taken back to Gihundwe hospital on February 14. Gahamanyi says that his legs no longer work as a result of spending many months without walking or doing any work. “Last month, I started experiencing difficulties in entire body, left side headache, hearing is becoming difficult. There is relative loss of sight from my left eye,” he narrates with much difficulty. But Gahamanyi hails government and various NGOs for the continued support. “Many people injured by the earthquake have been given medical services and houses are under construction.” he adds. “The earthquake that occurred in both our districts of Nyamasheke and Rusizi was really terrible as you can see my backbone totally broken.” Laurence Nzagaruka, 48, a resident of Bugarura cell in Nkombo also shared woes of the earthquake. She says God is kind and great. “I survived narrowly but I attribute everything to God,” Nzagaruka says. Nzagaruka’s broke both legs after debris of the church fell on her. “The only thing I remember is that after the church fell, I saw the sky becoming dark. Hours after, I didn’t know what followed later,” Nzagaruka narrates. Nzagaruka says three children died on spot in the church. Nzagaruka was on February 4 rushed to Kigali Central Hospital. She was later transferred to King Faisal Hospital onFebruary 22 of this year where she was given treatment. In May, she was brought back to Gihundwe hospital where she is also going under medical treatment. “Though I can’t get back my normal legs, I thank so much our government and other NGOs which rendered any help to us as earthquake victims during the period when the earthquake happened in our districts because this really shows that our government cares for her citizens in any situation,” Nzagaruka says. Nzagaruka who is married with five children says she badly needs a wheel chair. New life after earthquake Alfred Nkusi, an official from land and community settlement unit at Rusizi district, said the district would build about 1,120 houses for those who were affected by the earthquake. He revealed that 102 primary and secondary schools which have been using tents for classrooms are being rebuilt. “These schools are being built by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in conjuction with the Ministry of Education,” he says. The new schools include Kibumba and Rwahi, Bugumira primary schools in Nkanka sector. Others are Ecole Primaire Islamique De Kamembe, in Kamembe sector, Nkombo secondary and primary school in Nkombo sector, Ecole Primaire Adventiste in Gihundwe sector, Ecole Primaire de Kirabyo in Mururu sector. The district has also received Frw3 million from the Prime Minister’s office which will be used as a start up capital for construction of houses for the earthquake victims. The district has contacted CIMERWA, Rwanda cement factory, to provide cement at the factory price to those who are capable of reconstructing and renovating their houses. Residents affected Figures from the district indicate that 350 residents in Nkombo sector, 285 residents in Nkanka sector, 87 residents in Kamembe sector, 71 in Mururu sector, 70 residents in Nyakarenzo sector and 61 in Giheke sector have been affected. All these residents need urgent help and support in terms of shelter. “We expect that Frw6 billion would be spent on the constructing of primary and secondary schools, houses for the residents who were affected by the earthquake and giving them other support in all ways,” Nkusi said. He said that the schools and houses that are to be built are those which can to resist the earthquake and all these would be built in community settlements according to the government policy. NGO role The district hails UNICEF, Red Cross, NHCR, Compassion, World Relief, and Catholic Relief Service for playing a leading role in the reconstruction process. UNICEF reports that the referral system from district authorities has enabled rapid response from the Government for emergency health care with the deployment of five doctors in the district from Kigali. The doctors are supporting other teams in Gihundew and Bushenge District hospitals. UNICEF and the World Health Organisation are also liasing with the Ministry of Health to provide essential drugs and equipments, which are available in emergency stocks. Ends