Charles Habonimana

I was born in Gitarama on July 3, 1984, in a small village in central Rwanda, and was part of a family of eight children. My parents, who were hunters and pastoralists, were killed in the 1994 genocide, along with six of my brothers and sisters. We owned about 15 cows that my father took care of, while my mother cultivated the land. My father was very loved in our village. Both my mother and father only completed primary school. I am the third oldest and my sister, Yvonne, was the oldest child. We are the only survivors from our family.

Before the genocide I used to visit my aunts and uncles during the holidays. All 6 of my aunts were married. I also had half-aunts; it was a very big family. I would meet my cousins to play and help them with their homework. They would also come to visit us. Some of my favorite memories from childhood are of spending time with my older cousin. I loved her very much. We played soccer and other games together. She died during the genocide. Every time when I remember her, I get very sad and upset. As a child, I also enjoyed building small models of houses and herding and milking our cows during the holidays. I still go back sometimes to visit my surviving family members in Gitarama.

Our village was attacked a few weeks after the genocide started on April 24th, 1994. Almost all the Tutsis in our village were killed that day. My entire 12-person family was hiding in the forest but the militia found us. One at a time, they took us to the mountain where they killed Tutsis. When we got there, the girls and the women were separated from the boys and men and told that they would not be killed that day. My young brother, Butoto, ran away when he saw the militia. After that there were only three of us left: me, my youngest brother, and my father.

My youngest brother, who was only 4 years old, asked not to be killed saying that he would never make the same mistake [of being Tutsi] again. He didn't even understand what he had done wrong in the first place. They let him go and made him leave with the guards. I was left with my father. The militia men asked him if he was ready to die. He said "yes." But because the entire village loved my father, they gave him beer so that he would die without any pain. Then some women in the village found my uncle and brought him to us. He was near death. Together, we were taken to the mountain to be killed.

I asked our captors to kill me with a club rather than with a machete because I was overwhelmed by all the blood that I saw. I am grateful to God for what happened next. Because of my request, the chief of the militia declared, "This boy will not be killed today. We will kill him after all the other Tutsis. I don't know if it will be in 5 years or how many years, but we will find a girl to die with this boy and all Tutsis will be finished. Those two will be the last memory of Tutsis: how they looked and how they were." In response, some of my father's friends argued that I should be killed then. But the militia chief commanded his men to let me go. My father tried to ease the protests by offering them cows (which are a sacred animal) as a sign of friendship. They still refused and made my father sit down to beat him on the head with a club. They beat him 10 times but he didn't die. They let him fall down on the ground. He was continuously beaten but he still survived. Then they brought all the other Tutsis and I saw about 200 Tutsis die in front of me.

The next morning, I went to the mountain to see my wounded father because I heard him crying. He asked me to kill him. But I refused and I prayed for him. I found him and clothed him. Three days later, he was dead.

After my father's death, I stayed with my mother, my five sisters, one cousin and my youngest brother. In the days that followed, another militia came to the village. These were different people because they were from another district. They did not know us and when they found us, they asked us to lie down. They took the machetes and the clubs and they beat me on the head three times. I fell, pretending to be dead. The people of the village told the militia that our family should not be killed. The militias asked why and the villagers responded by explaining what had happened on the mountain. They eventually left us.

Then, the chief of militia came to see me because he had been told that I was dead. He took me to his house: not out of goodness but to enslave me for three months. My duties were first, to keep the cows and the pigs; second, to fetch water from 1 km. away on foot so that he could make beer. All the Tutsi's bananas became the property of this chief and he was able to get banana beer any time he wanted. Every day, I carried about 800 Liters of water for him. I was 10 years old. I also tended the coffee plantation.

When the Rwandan Patriotic Forces (RPF) began to win, the killers and other villagers left the village, so we started to run away from the war. We ran into other militiamen and they took me to kill me because women from the village told them that I was an enemy. They said that Tutsis are enemies of Rwanda so any Tutsis found still alive had to be killed. When the women brought me to the military, I started to run. They followed me with guns and started shooting. Miraculously, I survived with no wounds. I was able to find the RPF and they took to the military camp of the RPF chief, who saved me. It was there that I met other Tutsis who had survived and were beginning to build new lives for themselves. I was also reunited with my aunt. We left together for a town called Bugesera.

My sister, Yvonne, who survived, was also freed by the RPF. But my mother and younger sister died before the RPF arrived because the militia chief had commanded the people to kill all Tutsis. They were suffocated to death in an outhouse-type toilet.

After the war I lived with my aunt in Gitarama and finished 2 years of primary school. But after two years, she began to act very strangely due to traumatic events that she had experienced. That was when a community of Catholic nuns found me. They sent me to live at Gisimba Memorial Center (GMC) to ensure that I could continue to go to school. There, I found a new life and new "parents" in the orphanage staff. I was with new young brothers and sisters. With the orphanage's support, I was able to continue on to secondary school, where I concentrated on Public Works and Construction. I still visit my aunt in Gitarama, but sadly she is still traumatized, while I have been able to move on.

My health is good but sometimes, it's difficult to eat sometimes. The months of April, May and June are particularly difficult because that is when we commemorate what happened. My father's killers went to prison but were later released and are still alive. I met with them once in the village. I recognized them because I remember everything that they did. I asked one of them if he remembered what he had done and he confessed. I forgave him because he admitted to it. Today, I have made peace with him.

These days I have no problem studying because it always keeps me motivated. I know that I need to continue my studies up to the highest level possible because I want to become a political leader. I'd like to get a Master's degree in architecture and/or political science. In the future, I would like to pursue a career as a senator or minister.

I have finished my first year at Kigali Independent University, where I am studying social sciences. My favorite subjects are sociology, ethics and culture. The most challenging course is sociology. I like it, but it is complicated and hard. Psychology is tough too. My friends at Orphans of Rwanda help me with some of my courses.

I now live with two friends near the orphanage and am enrolled in an intensive English course at Kigali Independent University to improve my language skills. Outside of my studies, I enjoy volleyball, basketball, soccer and swimming.

I would advise other orphans not to be afraid of life and to work hard to overcome the hand they have been dealt. If they are in school, they must study hard to pass their exams. If I could change anything in Rwanda, I would first work on improving the infrastructure, because that is necessary for economic development. Also, the health system needs to be improved. Third, the facilities for tourism need to be improved. We have many good things in Rwanda, and I would encourage all people of the world to come and visit. The only thing many people know about Rwanda is the genocide. But our country has changed and has much to share with the world. Our President, Paul Kagame, is one of the best in Africa. He is highly respected, and is one of the important and progressive African leaders.

I'd like to end by thanking Orphans of Rwanda, Inc for providing me with a new life. Whatever I do in my future, I want to help other orphans. I am ready to work with ORI as a volunteer after my studies to achieve this. May God bless you!