Laurence Uwamahoro

I was born on April 4, 1983 in Butamwa, Kigali. Before the war, I lived with my family, which was made up of my father and mother, 3 girls and 3 boys. When the genocide started, my oldest sister was 20 years old, the next oldest (me) was 11, and my three brothers and my younger sister were 8, 6, 4 and 8 months. There were many aunts, uncles and cousins - all told, there were 509 people in our family. Only 12 have survived.

I started primary school in 1989. I was close to my parents. They helped me with school subjects like French and English. My father emphasized the importance of getting educated and encouraged me to become a doctor. He was an accountant and had finished secondary school. My mother finished only primary school. She took care of the house and sold rice, sugar and other goods at a small store.

During my childhood, I loved to study and I also loved the rain. I loved playing with the kids from the nearby orphanage. I also liked to help and listen to people with different problems. After my studies, I use to go to the information center where people went with psycho-social problems. I also visited people who were sick in the hospital. I enjoyed playing with my friends. but most of the time I wanted to help look after the sick.

When the genocide started, I was in the 4th year of primary school. I saw a lot of killing. I watched people kill my parents at my house. My brothers, sisters and I ran for our lives. I hid with my brother in the forest, but the Interhamwe found us. They tied us up and threw us into a river. I woke up floating on the river with corpses all around me. When I managed to get out, I tried to hide but the militias found me again and threw me into the river a second time. They threw me in two more times but when they saw that I was still alive, they let me go, thinking that I must be destined to be killed by some other force.

I hid for 3 days in the swamps and it was very cold. I was eventually discovered again in the swamps and was taken to a killing place. But one man said 'I can take her to my house. We'll kill her another time.' I spent 5 days at this man's house and eventually, I asked if I could join an orphanage. My captors refused to let me go but as the RPF [the Tutsi opposition forces] began to win, they eventually fled to escape the shelling and the war. So I gathered all of my courage and ran away to an orphanage. That is how I arrived at Gisimba Memorial Center (GMC) in Kigali. One of my brothers hid somewhere else and we were reunited much later on.

After the war, I continued primary school. In 1997, I started Rwaza secondary boarding school in the northern part of the country. At that time, the northern region was insecure and because of the insecurity, I was transferred to APEBU boarding school in Nyamata where I studied nursing. My dad used to say that I liked doctors and other medical people because I like to help ease people's suffering. My father also taught me concern for other people's social problems. He was always helping our neighbors and people from our church.

After I finished primary and secondary school, and while I was living at Gisimba, someone told me that my mother was still alive. I went to meet her, but found that she is permanently handicapped due to the genocide. She had an operation in her back and had to replace her back vertebras. Thereafter, I lived with my mother and worked on a vaccination campaign, where I was responsible for collecting survey data. The people at Gisimba knew where I was living, and recommended that I apply for support from Orphans of Rwanda so that I could go to university.

I am now studying clinical psychology at UNATEC (University of Agriculture, Technology and Education). After I get my degree, I aspire to start a trauma counseling center to help people who suffer from trauma-related disorders.

I would encourage other orphans to remain hopeful, because God has saved them and must have a plan for them. I would also like to tell them that you can have a future if you are organized and try to live a life that is worthwhile.

When I am not in school, I like being with happy people living in happy environments and communities. I like singing and playing volleyball and tennis. I believe that, in 10-20 years, development in Rwanda will trickle down to many people. The country will become richer and there will be higher standards of living for everyone. I feel that even though I am not certain of what the future will bring, I have been blessed for the opportunities I have had so far.