JEAN REMY
Jean Remy is an interesting case, along with his mother. We met both of them at the clinic when Alan was getting a vaccine shot for COVID back in 2021. A doctor asked us to meet them. It turns out Jean Remy was malnourished. Not in the typical way you see a child (gaunt face, ribs showing), but bad enough to warrant attention. The mother’s situation was such that she was able to buy medicine or food but not both.
We were determined to help but we wanted to do it the right way. The right way meant visiting them in their home and establishing a relationship with them, as well as providing the money necessary to ensure Jean Remy’s health would return, which it did over time. He is still on the small side but he is not in danger anymore. The mother, Vestine, is doing better as well, her stress levels reduced.
In August of 2023 we gave her some additional money so she could start a small business selling fruit. It doesn’t bring in a lot of money but it brings in some, enough to help her feel more independent and not as reliant on others, including us. We will continue to watch out for them, though, regardless, and continue to visit.
CONSTANTINE
We met Constantine after her father, whom we visited fairly regularly at what would be called an assisted living center in the United States, passed away in the latter part of 2022. When we saw her she was overcome with tears and emotion. While I understood her grief of losing her father, it wasn’t until she talked about her life that I understood why her pain was so deep.
Constantine lost all nine of her siblings and her mother during the Genocide. Her father was her lone remaining family member. When she lost him she felt like she had lost everything. When we visited her in her home a month or so later she was doing a bit better, grateful for the company. We have continued to visit her, and her six children. Her joy has returned, saying that it helps her quite a bit to have us visit, helping her feel not so alone.
She is a very strong and courageous lady, as you can imagine, and she says that despite all the losses she has had, her faith in God has never wavered. Besides the visits, through a sponsor we gave her the money needed for her to start a salon business in her village.
FORTUNEE
Fortunee is a mother of seven children. She lives a very difficult life but it doesn’t keep her from smiling.
When she was growing up her parents used to fight every day. She decided to be married at a young age (18), thinking and hoping that that a husband would relieve her of the suffering she had experienced at home. Unfortunately she was wrong; she ended up in the same situation as her parents and was beaten every night. We often visit Fortunee to talk and to comfort her and help her economically. She is very happy to be with us and is very grateful for God’s presence in her life, especially for her children, one of whom was supposed to die during childbirth.
Despite what has been done to her Fortunee always tries to share with others what she has. Currently we are hoping to help her start her own business.
WOMEN’S GROUP
In the latter part of 2022 we visited a trauma support group made up of 13 women. Some had experienced trauma from the Genocide while others were experiencing trauma or difficulty at home. They were kind enough to allow us to sit in with them and hear their stories. The group officially ended after 12 sessions but many of them continue to get together once or twice a week to work and share together. We were fortunate enough to be invited and welcomed by them to sit and share along with them. They are a lot of fun. A very happy group. They still go through some struggles, but they help each other out and they are never shy to express their gratitude for us joining them.
We are spending more one-on-one time with them now so we can hear their individual stories and sense what they might need. One young lady, for example, wants to become a mechanic.
MEDIATRICE
Mediatrice is quite the lady. Back in January of 2023 we were walking up a small mountain and saw a few ladies standing by the road. For some reason we were drawn to her more than the others. We greeted each other and she showed us where she lived, a small two-room home on the side of the mountain.
We visited her in her home a few weeks and talked about her life. Despite going through some difficulties, including being raped twice which resulted in the births of two of her children, she stressed the importance of being kind. She lives a life full of dignity, grace, and strength.
She commented that she may not have much, but that she gives what she has, including handing out drinking water to those who pass by her home on the way to or from the top of the mountain. For our part, we make sure to visit regularly and give her some money for food.
JAMILA
Jamila is a mother of many children even though she never had the chance to give birth. She is a mother who is open to others. As it is often said about Muslims, she always shares what she has with others. She now lives with one child, a boy called Abdou, who is 14. She started to raise him when he was a baby, as his mother didn’t want anyone to be informed that she had a child.
We first came to know Jamila through two of the children that live in her compound and who she helps take care of. We had stopped to take their picture near where she lives, and the next time we saw them they brought us to their home.
Every time we visit Jamila she shares a little bit more about her life. Though difficult she is grateful for life and our presence in it. She has a small piece of land to cultivate to live off of. We are in the process of trying to help her start a small business of selling fabric.
JOSIANE
“I faced a harsh life until I asked why God creates a person. I thought that He did not exist anymore, that I am being lied to. But now I am convinced that God is walking among us.”
Josiane is a mother of three children: a girl and two boys. She was only seven years old when her parents and siblings died. She was left alone with her older brother who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. They didn’t have a good life because they faced persecution.
At nineteen years old, Josiane decided to go live with a boy who lived in the neighborhood where she lived. She felt she would be at peace with him and live without struggling. “He cared much for me and he was also an orphan. That’s why I felt like we would connect because we seemed to have similar problems. We had two children without any problems. It was with the third child that he began to change. When he saw that we didn’t have any more money, he abandoned me and the children.”
“It was hard for me until I started selling my body for getting food for children and money for rent. When I saw Claudine, I immediately moved when I saw that we lived next door so that she would not know that I am selling my body, but she still came to find me.”
“I now go to bed knowing that there are people that care for me. It is true that I have seen God’s presence among people. I don’t have much to say when they visit me but my heart is full. God always blesses those who allow themselves to be used.”
CHRISTINE
Christine Uwimana is 65 years old, a mother of three children and three grandchildren. Like her daughter Vestine we got to know them through her grandson Jean Remy. They all live together. Christine’s husband passed away in 1994 during the Genocide. Shortly after that Christine was hit on the head by people she didn’t know, leaving her disabled, which just added to the emotional injuries she had from her husband’s death. On top of that, when she was sick in the hospital, her husband’s relatives stole her property and told her children to leave.
All of this increased her pain, and she ended up being raised by her children instead of her raising them. Christine suffered a lot, resulting in some mental retardation due to extreme grief. Sometimes she goes a whole week without speaking. Seeing her laugh was difficult.
After several visits with her and her family, we gradually started to talk with her. She especially likes it when we walk and talk. We have started to see her smiling and laughing and she is telling us some of the history of the places we have been to, including knowing Eric’s mother who was killed during the Genocide. Seeing that there are people who care about her and her family, people who visit them and comfort them in one way or another, help her feel better about life, even though there still are some challenges.
During one of our most recent visits, Eric and Christine talked for 30 minutes or so about her life and reflecting on the picture that was taken of her looking at the picture in Eric’s phone of his mother. While she still struggles it is obvious that certain memories and certain situations cane bring her a lot of joy. We do our best to be attentive to that.
VERENA
Living in the same area as Asterie, when we first came across Verena she was a bit standoffish. She came around in time, though. While she tends to be on the serious side, she is always very happy to see us. She and Claudine almost always have a few good laughs and she and Alan typically are very playful with each other, poking fun at one another. Last year we paid for surgery on one of her legs to remove a piece of bone that was causing her pain and making it difficult to walk. She still uses a walking stick but is relatively pain free.
EPIPHANIE
Epiphanie is a 75-year-old woman. Looking at her you would think she is over 90. She lives with her husband, who is 85 years old, and can no longer hear well. Both of them are weak but still work hard. Epiphanie explained to us that their property has been divided among their children. Epiphanie does her best to cultivate on their land. They are helped by anyone who takes pity on them and gives them food, because their children are also unable to provide for themselves due to their limited ability. We do our best to support their needs.
GEORGETTE
Knowing her condition was not going to change on its own we were determined to get a second opinion and get her further, and proper, care. Thankfully we became connected with a doctor at a hospital in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. She was transported there in the summer of 2023. While her condition is still difficult, and tenuous, she is now able to sit in a wheelchair. The doctors intend to get her to the point that she can bathe and dress herself (a very big step), and even have hopes of getting her to walk again (though that is far off yet).
Georgette is now back at home as the doctor’s felt that it would be important for her to be around her mother again. She will return to the hospital in November of this year for what is being called ‘Phase Two.” The doctors say that during that time they hope they will be able get her stand, if not walk. Keep her in prayer.
FELICITEE
Felicitee is a mother of three children. She lives alone with them as her husband abandoned them when the third child was only six months old (and who is now three years old). They live in a small house with a sleeping room and a living room. She says the only thing they thank God for is that she owns the home. They have nothing else to help them live, because they have no land to cultivate. Felicitee tried to rent a vegetable garden. It was in this field that we first met her.
In order to survive Felicitee does different jobs, such as farming or doing laundry for people. Felicitee says she would like to become a seamstress because she is educated and skilled in the field but lacks the means to start the business, which is a very common thing for people here, especially in the village. They have the work ethic and the desire to do something that can help provide for themselves and their families, but they often lack the means it takes to start the business. She refuses to live as a beggar. She feels she should work and provide for herself.
Another problem that causes her to struggle recently is a stomach ailment. She feels she is suffering from fear and sadness because she knows that once she is sick she cannot work and if she does not work, her children will starve. She is a mother with strong faith, however. For her, there is always hope that there will be a change and she will not always suffer.
As her stomach ailment seems to be from stress, we found someone to help take care of her kids as well as cook for her. We are hoping that will allow her to get better and keep her out of the hospital
ASTERIE
Asterie was one of the first people we came across. Some kids were playing outside her home and invited us in. We instantly became friends. A very sweet, and little older lady, she spends much of her time in bed or lying in her compound, but she always has time for us and is always very kind. She enjoys looking at the pictures we have taken of her—something very simple but meaningful for many people. We help her in different ways. Claudine picked out a nice blanket for her to use, and we typically give her some money for food and make sure to spend some time visiting with her.
One of the most fun things we have done with her is when Claudine cooked for her and we brought along Jamila and Verena to join us. It was a lot of fun. You can see the video of it here.
VESTINE
Alan met Vestine soon after he arrived in Rwanda. She was working at the outside market, where people go who do not have the ability to pay taxes or a space to rent. She was one of the first people Alan took pictures of.
Vestine became an orphan at a young age, after each of her four siblings were obliged to manage life by themselves; she immediately started looking for a way to live on her own. This is what caused her to be deceived by men, causing her to give birth at a young age. Currently, Vestine has five children and is raising them alone. She lives by renting a small house and earns her money from doing different jobs, such as washing and farming. She also takes the money to the market and does business there so that she and her children can eat.
ALICE
Alice is one of Claudine’s students. She has a lot of patience and is a woman with a very strong heart. It is hard to know what she is thinking about, though as Alan noted one time she had a sadness behind her eyes (thankfully it is no longer there).
She is a mother of two young sons. They live alone in a small home and have to deal with the mental health issues that her husband has. Alice also has Hepatitis B. She has to work hard for them to survive. She sometimes cultivates or washes clothes for people in order to eat.
As with everyone else we visit her regularly. We gave her a Bluetooth speaker with a USB that has music that Eric picked out for her, and we provided her with start-up money to begin her business.
ALEX AND WIFE JUDITH
Alex is an old man of 83 years old. He lives with his wife Judith who is also 83 years old. There life is difficult, as apart from being old, they don’t have any land to cultivate (they divided it between their eight children, which is Rwandan culture). On top of that, Alex has been suffering from several injuries and broken bones that happened years ago while he was working construction. This left him disabled and unable to work. Despite this he and wife are very faith-filled and grateful people.
They both say that they were saved by the grace of God. They enjoy being visited and having someone to talk to. Even though they are old, they also need someone to be their parent because they themselves are no longer able to survive on their own.
THE CENTER
What might be called an assisted living center in the United States is more like a small village here. There are cows in stables, goats eating grass, young women handwashing and hanging clothes, the residents often helping sort through beans or peeling potatoes. It has a very strong sense of community, and there is a lot of care and love between the sisters who run the place and the residents, and among the residents themselves.
Because the Center is just down the road from the Basilica where Nathalie and Alan got married, many of the residents were able to come to their wedding, something that meant a great deal to everyone. And for their traditional wedding, one of the residents, a very sweet little blind lady, read a poem for them that she had written.
We do our best to visit the residents at least a couple times a month, usually more, as they get very few visitors in general. They are all very gracious and grateful, as are we from the love and kindness we receive from them.
THE HOSPITAL
The hospital here is unlike what you will find in the Western part of the world. No patient has his or her own room. It is basically an open bay with very basic twin size beds spaced just a couple feet apart from each other, separate by a bed sheet or some other type of curtain.
The patients seem to get pretty good care, though in some cases, or maybe many cases, it could be deemed as minimal, depending on their needs. The hospital does not provide food for the patients unless it is paid for They instead rely on friends and family member of the patients to cook for them in the kitchen that is provided on site.
We typically give them 20k each month to go towards food and the patients are regularly visited by volunteers who give 10-20 patients fruit and a photo with scripture on it to help them feel comforted.
Every so often, as with Georgette and Liliane, we take it upon ourselves to go above and beyond what we normally do.
BABA (MARTHA)
Everyone’s friend! That is how we can describe Martha. Alan met her when he was passing by on his way home soon after he first moved here. She is the first person whose photo Alan took without their knowing each other. She is a good friend. She is pleased that we visit her. Martha says she feels that she is precious because she is loved. She has a problem with her left arm that causes her some pain.
We help her with getting some pain medicine, which seems to help, and we visit regularly.
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