Survivor

Survivor

She is one of the survivors in Rwanda. She lost her parents during the genocide. A mere child herself, she became a parent to her siblings. Letting go of her chance to be a child, a chance of an education, a chance of a happy childhood. Instead she gave that to her siblings. so that they may have a better chance at life, a life that fills with equality and acceptance.
There were many childheaded households in Rwanda post genocide. There were not enough orphanages to house all the orphans. Bishop Alexis founded the Barakabaho foundation that coordinated and assisted these orphans so they might stay with their own families and relatives. Those who did not have any distant relatives were put in different housing facilities. The eldest sibling became the head of the household. Some were as young as 10 years old at the time. Now they are adults and we had the opportunity to meet up and to spend a day with some of these courageous people. We played games with them. The hesitation soon turned to laughter and childlike excitement. On that day they were happy, On that day they had something to eat. On that day, they live for that moment.
Addition: sadly the problem still persists. There are still many family headed by children as the HIV/AIDS epidemic takes its toll.