Child survivor haunted by Rwanda genocide
Orphaned at the age of seven, living with adopted parents, one of whom was this year killed by the same people who killed her parents, and now living as a refugee after being abandoned in Uganda, Grace Anny Uwera can’t help regretting why she was born
Orphaned at the age of seven, living with adopted parents, one of whom was this year killed by the same people who killed her parents, and now living as a refugee after being abandoned in Uganda, Grace Anny Uwera can’t help regretting why she was born.
Uwera who comes Gisenyi, Rwanda, lost both her parents and all relatives during the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.
She was abandoned recently at Entebbe Airport by Uwimana Chautae, who adopted her in 1998. Given only sh3,000 (US$1.50) to bring her to Kampala, Uwera was condemned¡ to the streets of Kampala where she had to find a new home, food and relatives.
“She told me she would call the refugee camp and direct them to send me to London. Up to now, I don’t know where the refugee camp is,†Uwera says.
Now aged 16, Uwera was recently saved by a Muzungu lady only identified as Sarah who took her to Candlelight Foundation, an NGO at Mengo which collects disadvantaged girls from the streets. Even with some care here, hope is still as distant. Uncontrollable tears roll down her chubby cheeks as she narrates her ordeal.
Even when she is beckoned by her new friends at Candlelight to be strong, tears continue to flow as she narrates the unforgettable night the soldiers came to their house and killed her family. “The Hutu soldiers butchered my father and mother, together with two of my elder sisters. I was left alone!†Uwera says with much effort.
The nine years that have passed haven’t made Uwera forget anything of the gruesome murders, least of all, her parents. “My father was a Senegalese while my mother was a Rwandese (Tutsi). My father became a Rwandese national after marrying my mother.
I still remember them and miss their love and attention. My father’s name was Niwemugabo Ally Djuma and my mother’s, Bankundiye Amina,†she recalls. That is when she loses the temporary smile. She says the memory of her parents makes her envious of children who have the luxury of their parent’s love and care.
Her father was a driver of a long distance trailer and kept travelling between Rwanda and Mombasa and was rarely at home. Her mother was a nurse and who operated her own clinic. Uwera says that knowing about her Senegalese origin and relatives is something that would make her life different, since it is the only way she could get the love of a relative.
“My father used to say my grannies are in Senegal and I always dreamt of going there,†she says.
Ultimate Media
Uwera who comes Gisenyi, Rwanda, lost both her parents and all relatives during the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.
She was abandoned recently at Entebbe Airport by Uwimana Chautae, who adopted her in 1998. Given only sh3,000 (US$1.50) to bring her to Kampala, Uwera was condemned¡ to the streets of Kampala where she had to find a new home, food and relatives.
“She told me she would call the refugee camp and direct them to send me to London. Up to now, I don’t know where the refugee camp is,†Uwera says.
Now aged 16, Uwera was recently saved by a Muzungu lady only identified as Sarah who took her to Candlelight Foundation, an NGO at Mengo which collects disadvantaged girls from the streets. Even with some care here, hope is still as distant. Uncontrollable tears roll down her chubby cheeks as she narrates her ordeal.
Even when she is beckoned by her new friends at Candlelight to be strong, tears continue to flow as she narrates the unforgettable night the soldiers came to their house and killed her family. “The Hutu soldiers butchered my father and mother, together with two of my elder sisters. I was left alone!†Uwera says with much effort.
The nine years that have passed haven’t made Uwera forget anything of the gruesome murders, least of all, her parents. “My father was a Senegalese while my mother was a Rwandese (Tutsi). My father became a Rwandese national after marrying my mother.
I still remember them and miss their love and attention. My father’s name was Niwemugabo Ally Djuma and my mother’s, Bankundiye Amina,†she recalls. That is when she loses the temporary smile. She says the memory of her parents makes her envious of children who have the luxury of their parent’s love and care.
Her father was a driver of a long distance trailer and kept travelling between Rwanda and Mombasa and was rarely at home. Her mother was a nurse and who operated her own clinic. Uwera says that knowing about her Senegalese origin and relatives is something that would make her life different, since it is the only way she could get the love of a relative.
“My father used to say my grannies are in Senegal and I always dreamt of going there,†she says.
Ultimate Media