Last week, we told you about Ruth and her daughter Berthe, and how they are working hard to heal from trauma and become self-sufficient. This week we’re focusing on Eliane. This is her story.
Eliane is now 60 years old. During the 1994 Genocide, she lost her husband and six of her children. She survived but had a baby due to rape. She was never comfortable with her daughter, who she called Agnes.
After attending YEGO Rwanda’s healing retreats in 2015 and 2016, Eliane’s attitude about her child changed. She started accepting her daughter, loving and caring for her. But she still struggled to raise her due to poverty. Most of her friends refused to support her because Agnes was a product of one of the criminals who raped her mother.
Eliane remarried and had five more children. Her second husband disliked Agnes and harassed her. He wanted Eliane to chase her away from their home. Eliane decided not to send her daughter away, but to stand up for her instead. She divorced her husband, took her five children and went to live with Agnes.
Life became very challenging for Eliane, with no food for her children and no money for rent. YEGO Rwanda supported her with counselling, food, and school fees for three of her children, including Agnes.
Agnes was brilliant at school. At the end of secondary school in 2018, she was one of the best performers on the national exam. She later won a foreign scholarship for university studies in the US.
While Agnes was at university, she took small jobs during her free time, and managed to save some money. In 2021, thanks to her savings, Agnes was able to buy a house for her mum within the city of Kigali.
How you can help
If you would like to help families like Eliane’s, click here to donate.
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