Ange Benitha Bamuyugire

My mother and father both finished secondary school, and my father attended university before finding work at the Ministry of Finance. As a child, I lived with my parents and sister. We had everything we needed.

The genocide began when I was seven and a half. After we heard on the radio that President Habyrimana had been killed, the Interahamwe soldiers started coming to our home, telling us they were going to kill us because we were Tutsis. Three days later the massacres reached us when a mob of Interahamwe soldiers arrived at our home. They killed my father using machetes - I saw the whole thing. I ran off on my own, then found my big sister two days later, and we found some friends who hosted us. But they were Hutus, and after a week they told us that if we stayed there, the Interahamwe would come and kill us because we were Tutsis. We left.

Moving around like nomads, we found our mother, her back covered in machete wounds. Some times we'd meet friends who saw how hungry and thirsty we were, and they'd give us something. It was "la misËre" and we just tried to survive. Eventually we got to my grandparents' home in Butare but they, together with the rest of our extended family, had been killed.

After the genocide, we lived in a refugee camp in Butare for about a month. Then we came back to Kigali, but found our home wrecked. A group of survivors all moved into a house together and shared everything. Soon after, life seemed to begin again when we moved back home and I started school again.

I enjoyed studying biology and chemistry at the FAWE girls' school because it was easy for me. My class was the first at this particular school and it was not easy for us as orphans to continue to studying alongside those who still had families. In 2002, some of us founded an association (AERG) of students who survived the genocide. I helped start the association and served as a coordinator. We met twice a week to talk about our problems, share our thoughts, and discuss the importance of forgiveness-because we did not want to be like those who did so much harm to us. This association really helped us vent and gave me a space to confront issues while also progressing in my studies. Outside of school, I kept active, doing cultural dances and leading the drama club.

I currently study computer science at KIST (Kigali Institute of Science and Technology). Computer science appeals to me because there are opportunities for professional advancement--and for helping Rwanda. I'd like to build an ICT center, maybe in Kigali or somewhere else. To achieve this, I need help from many people. My educational goal is to earn a Ph.D. in computer science.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank Orphans of Rwanda because it provided me a pathway to university. To other orphans, I would emphasize the importance of education. Education is a key to life and for our nation. In 10-20 years, I hope that Rwanda will become a country of peace, good governance, good infrastructure, and improvements in the domains of health, education and general wellbeing. I am optimistic!