25 Years on from the Horror

It’s been almost five years since I visited Africa. I was there around the time of the 20th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. It remains a filthy stain on the history of our world. It was a time when voices were crying out but the world refused to listen.

While I was in Rwanda I met many people who are still suffering the effects of the events that turned such a beautiful land into a place of unspeakable horror.

While the killing had already been going on for some time, the 100 days of Genocide against the Tutsi began on the 7th of April 1994, ending on the 15th of July.

The world is currently remembering what happened in Rwanda and commemorating 25 years since the Genocide against the Tutsi.

In 100 days more than 1 million people were murdered.

But the genocidaires did not kill a million people.

They killed one, then another, then another….

day after day, hour after hour, minute by minute.

Every minute of the day, someone, somewhere was being murdered, screaming for mercy.

Receiving none.

And the killing went on and on and on….

10,000 each day,

400 each hour,

7 each minute.

Kigali Genocide Memorial 

My mind keeps returning to the Rwandan Genocide Memorial I visited in the hills outside Kigali. There are many thousands of people buried beneath the church and surrounding area.

I walked into the church and saw some of the belongings left behind by victims of the genocide including the blood-stained clothing they were wearing when the murderers took their lives.

I then walked down steps into the area below the church where I was surrounded by coffins stacked five or six high.

The church (pictured above) has become a permanent memorial and while everything I saw made the genocide very real, it became very personal when I met someone who lost most of their family in that building.

When the trip to Rwanda was planned I knew that I’d meet people who still carried the emotional scars of the genocide, but meeting a woman my own age who carries very obvious physical scars gave me a glimpse of what some people faced twenty years ago.

Even before she was introduced to us we knew that she had suffered. She carries a very long, deep scar down the left side of her face with other deep marks to the right side of her face and the back of her head. She now only has sight in her left eye.

Esther (not her real name) was a wife and mother. She had five children, the youngest just a baby.

Life as Esther knew it instantly disappeared on the 15th of April 1994.

Just over a week after the genocide began, thousands of locals sought refuge in their church, a place that should have been a safe haven. That only made their murder easier when the killers arrived and threw grenades into the assembled crowds.

Esther’s husband and three of her children died that day. She was injured and dazed lying among the dead. It wasn’t until the 18th of April that she finally made it out of the church building. She’d been left for dead but somehow survived.

That was just the start of her horror.

After crawling out of the church Esther found an empty home where she went to hide. The genociders returned and killed her other children in front of her in ways too graphic to describe here.

They then took their machetes to her and again left her for dead. Although she was suffering horrific injuries she survived and found another hiding place.

Some days later more killers arrived. This time it was people she knew. People from her own area. Neighbours. They told her to go away and die somewhere else. It took all her energies but she made it out, eventually finding another home in which to hide.

The next time her hiding place was discovered was in June. She was barely alive and weighed only 19 kilograms. She couldn’t walk because she had been hiding in a cramped position for so long.

Thankfully this time it was members of the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front), the group which was seeking to halt the genocide. They rescued Esther and took her to hospital where she stayed recovering for around six months.

Esther told her story with far more detail and while it was hard for us to hear her story, it was obvious that remembering the details was even harder for her.

Another place I visited in Rwanda was the Kigali Genocide Memorial. It tells the story of genocide in Rwanda as well as other genocides through history. If you’d like to know more about what happened over those 100 days in 1994 you can visit the website for the Kigali Memorial Centre.

The genocide resulted in the deaths of over a million people.

But death was not its only outcome.

Tens of thousands of people had been tortured, mutilated and raped; tens of thousands more suffered machete cuts, bullet wounds, infection and starvation.

There was rampant lawlessness, looting and chaos. The infrastructure had been destroyed, the ability to govern dismantled.

Homes had been demolished, belongings stolen.

There were over 300,000 orphans and over 85,000 children who were heads of their household, with younger siblings and/or relatives.

There were thousands of widows. Many had been the victims of rape and sexual abuse or had seen their own children murdered.

Kigali Genocide Memorial

Thankfully Compassion was working in Rwanda before the genocide and continues working there.

In fact, it was just after the genocide that the church where Esther’s family was killed called on Compassion for help. They were there within a few short months, ready to walk the the journey of recovery with local people.

Following the Genocide against the Tutsi Esther had another child, a daughter. When we met Esther, her daughter was in her final years of sponsorship with Compassion.



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Beautiful Survivor

ChristineUwase

Working in broadcast media for many years I had the opportunity to meet some incredible people. I met personal heroes, like Australian cyclist Cadel Evans, and various other celebrities from around the world. A lot of the people I met were inspiring but none have been as inspiring as those I have met since beginning to work for Compassion.

One of the most remarkable people I’ve had the chance to meet is Christine, a young woman I met in Rwanda in 2014. Christine faced unimaginable tragedy at the age of four when she lost her family to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

The last memory I have of my mother is watching her be shot dead before my eyes as she pleaded for both her life and mine to be spared. I was only four years old and didn’t know the implications of her dying prematurely. I wish she was still alive to see me grow into the lady I have become.

How do you come back from something like that? How do you find hope in such a dark situation?

Christine is in Western Australia for a short time to tell her story and the amazing transformation that has happened in her life. While living with an aunty she was registered with Compassion and life started to turn around.

I joined Compassion when I was five years old, just after my parents were killed. Compassion picked me alongside other children and provided us with education, meals and other basic supplies, which I was able to share with my siblings. The Compassion project became my next home and a place where I was assured of joy.

Through Compassion, I came to know Christ and my faith was strengthened. I was previously very quiet and wouldn’t smile, but the longer I attended the program and met friends to play with, the more my confidence grew. Through Compassion, I started to gain hope for life where I was hopeless.

My sponsor taught me about giving and impacting others through what I have. The fact that they helped me without even knowing who I am impressed me a lot and pushes me to do the same to others, in order to make our world a better place. My sponsors used to tell me how much they love me and how I am so special. It was the first time I was told that and now I am passionate about sharing that love with others.

God has used Compassion to make me who I am today.

MelCrothers
If you’re in Perth you can hear Christine tell her story on Sunday night, the 26th of June, at The Rocks in Cannington.

The evening will also feature one of my very favourite singer/songwriters, Mel Crothers.

Entry to the event is free but you’ll need to register. You can find out more and register by clicking this link.

I really want you to have the opportunity to be inspired by this incredible evening. Why not grab a few friends or family members and head along? You will be so glad you took the time.

You can see Christine telling some of her story in the video below.

Christine’s story is one of hope and transformation. If you can, I really hope you’ll make it a priority to hear from her while she’s in Perth.

My life is true confirmation that God has a plan for each one of us and has mysterious ways to fulfil the plan. All we need to do is let Him work in us. The way God used sponsors through Compassion to transform my life is one of those mysteries.

Christine is a truly inspiring lady. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet her.

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Memories of Rwanda

image

My time in Ethiopia and Rwanda came to an end a few days ago. After an extra day in Johannesburg, due to the airline heavily overbooking my flight, I made it home to Perth. Sometimes it seems like so long ago, yet at other times a memory will put me right back on the streets of Africa.

My mind keeps returning to the Rwandan Genocide Memorial I visited in the hills outside Kigali. There are many thousands of people buried beneath the church and surrounding area. I walked into the church and saw some of the belongings left behind by victims of the genocide including the blood stained clothing they were wearing when the murderers took their lives. I then walked down steps into the area below the church where I was surrounded by coffins stacked five or six high.

In 100 days more than 1 million people were murdered. But the genocidaires did not kill a million people. They killed one, then another, then another…. day after day, hour after hour, minute by minute.

Every minute of the day, someone, somewhere was being murdered, screaming for mercy.

Receiving none.

And the killing went on and on and on….

10,000 each day,

400 each hour,

7 each minute. – History Speaks

When the trip to Rwanda was planned I knew that I’d meet people who still carried the emotional scars of the genocide, but meeting a woman my own age who carries very obvious physical scars gave me a glimpse of what some people faced twenty years ago. Even before she was introduced to us we knew that she had suffered. She carries a very long, deep scar down the left side of her face with other deep marks to the right side of her face and the back of her head. She now only has sight in her left eye.

Esther (not her real name) was a wife and mother. She had five children, the youngest just a baby. Life as Esther knew it instantly disappeared on the 15th of April 1994. Thousands of locals sought refuge in their church but that only made their murder easier when the killers that arrived on that day threw grenades into the assembled crowds. Esther’s husband and three of her children died that day. She was injured and dazed lying among the dead. It wasn’t until the 18th of April that she finally made it out of the church building. She’d been left for dead but somehow survived. That was just the start of her horror.

After crawling out of the church Esther found an empty home where she went to hide. The genociders returned and killed the rest her children in front of her in ways too graphic to describe here. They then took their machetes to her and again left her for dead. Although she was suffering horrific injuries she survived and found another hiding place. Some days later more killers arrived. This time it was people she knew. People from her own area. Neighbours. They told her to go away and die somewhere else. It took all her energies but she made it out, eventually finding another home in which to hide.

The next time her hiding place was discovered was in June. She was barely alive and weighed only 19 kilograms. She couldn’t walk because she had been hiding in a cramped position for so long. Thankfully this time it was members of the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front), the group which was seeking to halt the genocide. They rescued Esther and took her to hospital where she stayed recovering for around six months.

Esther told her story with far more detail and while it was hard for us to hear her story, it was obvious that remembering the details was even harder for her.

The genocide resulted in the deaths of over a million people.

But death was not its only outcome.

Tens of thousands of people had been tortured, mutilated and raped; tens of thousands more suffered machete cuts, bullet wounds, infection and starvation.

There was rampant lawlessness, looting and chaos. The infrastructure had been destroyed, the ability to govern dismantled. Homes had been demolished, belongings stolen.

There were over 300,000 orphans and over 85,000 children who were heads of their household, with younger siblings and/or relatives.

There were thousands of widows. Many had been the victims of rape and sexual abuse or had seen their own children murdered.- History Speaks

Another place I visited in Rwanda was the Kigali Memorial Centre. It tells the story of genocide in Rwanda as well as other genocides through history. If you’d like to know more about what happened over those 100 days in 1994 you can visit the website for the Kigali Memorial Centre.

Thankfully Compassion was working in Rwanda before the genocide and continues working there. In fact, it was just after the genocide that the church where Esther’s family was killed called on Compassion for help. They were there within a few short months, ready to walk the the journey of recovery with local people.

Following the genocide Esther had another child, a daughter. Her daughter is in her final years of sponsorship with Compassion.

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An Inspiring Life

image

There are many times in life that we can’t choose what happens to us but most of the time we can choose how we deal with life’s circumstances. Tonight I met an extraordinary woman. Christine Uwase has risen above some of the most devastating events imaginable to create a bright future.
>”I was on my mother’s back when they shot her in the head,” says Christine Uwase. “She died on the spot.” Christine was 4 years old.

“We were hunted,” she continues softly. For days the terrified family of five children had hidden in their Kigali neighborhood before the Interahamwe (a civilian death squad) murdered their mother.

Fueled by tribal hatred, these violent gangs used guns and machetes to kill an estimated 1 million people during Rwanda’s April 1994 genocide.

Christine’s father was traveling with his civil service job when the killing began. Christine says, “To this day we do not know his whereabouts.”

The family can only assume he was murdered during the genocide.

Meeting this inspiring young woman was a real honour and has been one of the great highlights of my trip to East Africa.

Let me encourage you to take a few minutes to watch the video of Christine’s story and be inspired too.

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I Hate You

This video contains graphic and confronting content but is worth watching.

Don’t show it to your children but watch it because you love them and you want them to grow up in a a safer world.

To find out more visit Hands for Hope.

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