Vestine Mukasekuru, a mother-of-four, says life after surviving the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was agonising. Most of her family was killed. To make matters worse, the man who killed her parents also raped and impregnated her. “I had to fight the trauma, raising this child after all I went through was not easy at all. I didn’t love the child and my family didn’t either. I always lived in isolation not knowing how to deal with my life,” she says. However, misery would soon change to hope when she joined SEVOTA ((Solidarité pour l’Epanouissement des Veuves et des Orphelins visant le Travail et l’Auto-promotion). Founded by Godelieve Mukasarasi, another survivor, the organisation’s goal is to promote peace, reconciliation and the promotion of human rights, for vulnerable women and children. “I thank God for SEVOTA, because when I joined the organisation a few years back, my life and that of my child changed,” she says. Godelieve Mukasarasi is the founder of SEVOTA. The organisation counselled her on acceptance of her life and that of her child. “I accepted my child after understanding that he was innocent in what had happened. We were also trained on how to start small businesses and farming. Right now, life is so much better than it was before,” the 44-year-old narrates. Starting SEVOTA Mukasarasi, the founder, was lucky to survive the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. However, she went on to feel the pain of loss as well as witness the distressed lives of others who had survived. She felt the pain of the women, mostly widows, and children who had been orphaned. The women are equipped with agricultural and business skills. “The effects of the Genocide were hindering their ability to make decisions about their lives; they were widowed but they also had a profound pain from the trauma of sexual harassment for most were raped by perpetrators. This was affecting them and the lives of the children they were giving birth to, they needed someone to care for them,” Mukasarasi says. Her vision was to see these women and children regain their livelihood. In October 1994, she established SEVOTA. Though the organisation is based in Rukoma, Kamonyi District in Southern Province, it has beneficiaries across the country. It operates in Kigali and districts that include Kamonyi, Nyanza, Muhanga, Kirehe, Bugesera, Musanze, Ngororero and Rubavu. Beneficiaries were also given funds to start businesses. When she started this organisation, the 64-year-old says she felt the need to be part of the healing of those who had been affected by the Genocide. “I started SEVOTA pushed by the poor welfare of those who had survived. They had been gravely affected and I thought it was necessary to be part of the healing process of these people.” Most of them were suicidal, others had lost hope and felt unworthy. Mukasarasi reached out to them; offered them counselling, economic and social empowerment, to see that they regained trust and hope for the future. Slowly by slowly, she managed to reach out to as many children and women as possible. As of today, her organisation has helped over 1000 women, 2000 youth and over 200 teen mothers. Through trainings, beneficiaries are equipped with farming and entrepreneurship skills, and are also taught about human and reproductive rights. Men (husbands to the beneficiaries) too are sensitised on maintaining peace and harmony in families. Through counseling, beneficiaries re-gained their self-worth and livelihood. They also teach them how to foster a culture of peace, prevent violence, and are also taught the law governing management of marital property. “We help them learn individually, in families and in groups. We also give them funds to start businesses and agricultural equipment. When it comes to counselling, we do individual counselling, group counselling but we also visit their families, especially those with trauma and conflicts in families,” Mukasarasi explains. Impact Through advocacy and counselling, beneficiaries have been able to find peace because of the visits and relationships fostered, most women are now out of solitude, they are now able to socialise because they found families replacing those they no longer had. “Women and girls have accepted who they are, they no longer have suicidal thoughts (according to the psychologist who follows up on them). Bringing them together helped them share their negative experiences, and comfort each other, and this has now saved them,” she explains. They also love their children (most of whom were born out of rape). At first, she says, they hated the fact that they reminded them of the traumatic ordeal, and some treated them as a burden. But after receiving counselling, this changed too. They accepted their children and told them the truth about how they were conceived. “They have progressed and have turned out to be exemplary in their societies, some are working in the administration of their communities.” Mediatrice Uwimana is another survivor whose life was transformed by the organisation. Most of her family was killed in the Genocide and the 42-year-old says her biggest struggle was dealing with the trauma. “I was very unhappy and lived a miserable life. Everything I saw during the Genocide would come back and haunt me to the extent that I always had sleepless nights. I lived in fear thinking that anytime killers were going to come for me.” She, however, recalls her life changing six years ago when she joined SEVOTA, noting that apart from economic support, they were given counselling that helped her deal with the trauma. “I thought it was impossible for me to live a normal life but it has happened. I have healed; meeting with other survivors helped us a lot. They brought us together and our lives have never been the same,” she narrates. Uwimana, just like most beneficiaries, acquired skills in agriculture, and through this, she finds means of survival and along with her husband, and they now raise their six children. When she sees the transformation of her beneficiaries, Mukasarasi says she is more than happy and can’t help but thank the Government of Rwanda for making all of this possible. “It is a great honour for me and my colleagues at SEVOTA and our partners.” Her work was honoured by an award she received from the First lady of the US, Melania Trump in 2018. “I attribute everything to God because He has continued to guide me in the right direction. The award I got in 2018, we were 10 women who were selected at the international level, based on their acts of courage. It was actually given to us by the First Lady and I was the one who delivered the day’s speech,” she shares. Mukasarasi wants to continue seeing her beneficiaries become more self-reliant, live their lives to the fullest and cultivate courage as a culture. “I want them to promote unity and reconciliation through resilience. They should continue working for the betterment of themselves and of their homes because homes are the foundation of development. They should make right decisions without compromising the path to peace, unity and reconciliation.”
