Aimable Niyitegeka

After the genocide, my life was very hard. I had many problems and I missed my parents. Since finding ORI and moving into a house with my sisters, my life is finally good again.

I was born on March 3, 1984. I have three sisters and, thanks to God, I still live with them. Before we lost our parents, my father had enough education to begin a career in trading. Because my mother did not have any education, she stayed at home to take care of all of us. In those times, we had a successful life like others, with no problems. Life seemed like paradise.

My father died in 1992 and life became difficult after that. Because our mother didn't go to school, she could not get a job and was not able to support us. Every day we struggled to survive. Our mother died during the 1994 genocide.

During the genocide, many people fled from their homes and came to Gisimba Memorial Center, which tried to support us and other people who were with us. The Center made our life continue as normally as possible. They paid for our education, gave us clothing, fed us and catered for us in many ways, including taking us to the hospital. There was a man there that I'm extremely grateful to. He helped us so much; I hope that God repays him for what he did.

After the government started to search for orphans' parents, many began to be re-united with their families; including those who were living at other orphanages and those who were out in the countryside. The government also helped children in the orphanage to find families who wanted children. My sisters and I were taken to two different families. Shortly after that, I was adopted. I had everything: I drank, ate, dressed, and slept well. My problems went away, and I was able to continue my studies. However, my sisters faced many problems. They had no real support where they were living, and were not given what they needed. They were treated like house servants and, for a while, led a very hard life.

I thought about these problems and started searching for a way to change things. But, honestly, I couldn't do anything -- not because I didn't want to, but because I was still a student. All I could do was study hard and achieve my objectives. It wasn't easy but I managed to get my diploma at the advanced level. That diploma helped me to get simple jobs and earn a little money so that I could change my sisters' lives.

And I did. I took my sisters from where they were living and rented a house. Life has been good since we've been living together. They even started studying again and life went back to normal for them. My physical health has been good, but it has been difficult for my mind. Taking care of my family and remembering the genocide has been hard.

I am now a third year student at Kigali Independent University, studying Social Sciences in the Department of Administration. The whole course interests me. After university, I hope to find a good job and would like to continue studying for a Masters of Administration, and then for a PhD. Studying opens your mind. Outside of university I play basketball with my friends. I also run and do many exercises every Saturday with a group.

I think that in ten years, Rwanda will be a much better country because there will have been a lot of development, especially in terms of social justice. I am very grateful to Orphans of Rwanda for providing my university fees. They have made it easier to help my sisters with their needs, and to study for a foundation to build our future on.