The Story of Donata, a Woman on the Streets

Below is the first of three interviews that Desire collected for me while in Rwanda.  He went directly to the streets capturing stories from the very people that we are hoping to impact through I Will Stand International.  Some of the grammar has been changed so that it is more understandable.

I am going to share with you a story of a street woman and her 2 sons and 1 daughter.  She is going to tell us why she ended up on the street and what she thinks about her life.

It was Monday, May 14, 2012 at 8 o'clock.  I met a woman named MUKANDORI Donata who has 3 children and lives on the street.  It was difficult to interview her because she was afraid of losing money [from begging].  I asked her to share with me the story of her life.  She refused and said, "I can tell you my story if you give me money."  I had 300 RFW in my pocket that I gave to her, and she began telling me her story.

MUKANDORI Donata was married to HABARUREMA J. Claude.  She had two sons with J. Claude. (Currently, they are 12 and 8 years old) She began living on the street in 2008 after the death of her husband.  She began using her sons to ask people in the streets for money to feed her and her two boys.  I asked her about the difficulties of living in the street, and she told me that the police would catch them and put them in jail.  Also, men on the street would do some violence towards her like beat her and rape her.  Her daughter, now 3 years old, was a product of rape.

I asked her son how he felt about street life.  He told me that the street life is very bad because they did not have food to eat.

I asked the woman what vision she has for her life.  She told me that if she could get some support that she would become a business woman.

This woman went to the streets because she depended on her husband without income for her own life.  I would like to ask all women to work hard in order to get a good life, and they must try to create their own business without depending on someone else.

By: BIZIMANA Desire in Kigali, Rwanda

Please leave your comments below.  I have much to say and quite a bit of insight on this interview above, but I would love to hear your perspective on the interview above.

The Life of a Street Boy...Meet My Friend, Desire

It has been a little while since I have blogged.  Much has happened in my life over the past month of which the biggest is our move from Colorado to Texas so that we can begin to develop I Will Stand International (www.iwillstandintl.com, www.facebook.com/iwillstandinternational).  The past few weeks have consisted of doing all the administrative activities required to become a recognizable organization....all the while my heart aches to be on the streets bringing hope to the hopeless.  I think that it is hitting me particularly hard today because my husband had a construction and design meeting with our CFO today and because of the hills and rainy seasons in Rwanda, it may take a bit longer than I had wanted before we are on the ground.  As my heart is deeply saddened, I must embrace God's timing in all things. 

I came up to my room and remembered a street boy that I grew to love in Rwanda.  He wants to be a journalist so I challenged him to begin practicing by first writing his own stories and then interviewing others.  By the time that I had left, he gave me his story and the story of three others.  They touch my heart each time that I read them and take me back to the streets of Rwanda and a land that I have grown to love.  Here is his story:

My name is Bizimana Desire.  I was born in 1990.  I am going to share with you the story of my life about my lost life and the life I have right now.

I was born in Kigali in the country of Rwanda in Africa in the family of two brothers.  During the Genocide of 1994, I lost my mom and my two brothers.  In 1995, I lost my father.  It was very bad for me because it made me become a street kid.

In 1995 in the month of July, I became a street kid.  I began the bad life of a street kid at the age of 5 years old.  Older street kids began to abuse me, and it was hard for me to get food or find a place to sleep.  In 1997, the priest of the Catholic Church came in the street where I was staying and told us that we could attend the school.  Because I saw other kids going to school, I liked school.

There were 55 street kids in my group, but only 23 street kids accepted the offer.  The other 22 refused to go because of the conditions such as having to study but not having a place to sleep and taking lunch but not supper.  I chose to study under those conditions, and I was intelligent.  I studied hard even though it was difficult for me.  I attended school a few days a week because I had to get a small job that could give me money to eat.  I studied like this for 6 years.

After 6 years, I passed the national exam which ended primary.  I got a good grade so I was able to go to high school.  When I got to high school, life changed.  I had a place to stay during school but was back on the streets during holiday. 

In 2006, I took the national exam ending ordinary level senior 3.  After I passed the exam, the state told me to study agriculture.  At that time, the Catholic priest told us that they could no longer pay our school fees, and we should check other opportunities.  I suffered from a lot of regret wondering why I even chose to study.  I stopped studying for one year.

In 2008 because I was good at playing football (soccer), a school asked me if I could play on the school team, and they would pay my school fees.  I accepted.  The school had a section of language and literature that I really liked.  After one year and when the school had finished the championship, the headmaster told me that the school could no longer pay the school fees for me.  Since I could not pay them, I left the school and was back on the street.

2009 was a black year for me.  I had money problems and went to prison 8 times.  The reason was because of my hard life I began to sell many kinds of illegal drugs such as marijuana and local beer.  I suffered a lot in that year.

Let me back up a bit.  In 2006, I became involved with Vivante Church.  Vivante Church is a church that helps street kids by feeding them lunch on Friday and Sunday.  In 2010, I met a sister coming from the USA named Kristen Kline.  It was nice meeting her because she loved me so much even though I was in the street life.  Sometimes, she came to visit on the street and brought me food.  Unfortunately, I met her when she was only staying one month here in Rwanda.  In one month, I spent a good life with her.  Before she left Rwanda, she asked me how she could support me.  I told her that I wanted to continue school.  She told me that even though she was a student and didn't have many resources that she would pay for 1 year of school fees.  She told me after a year that God would create other opportunities for me.  She left, and I went back to school.  I then met "Daddy" Serge and Jenn.  I thank them so much because they accepted me and continued to pay for my school fees until I finished high school.

Furthermore, I would like to encourage every person to have a confidence in themselves because if you need something, you can get it.  I liked to study even though I was in bad conditions.  I finished my high school, and I look forward to university.  I have a vision to become a journalist.  Special thanks to Daddy Serge and Jenn, Kirsten, Gabby, Logon, and everyone who has supported me in my life.

What an amazing story of constant provision of this young man's education which was his main goal!  I met Desire, and he is a very sharp young man.  God is going to do amazing things through him.  He did 3 other interviews for me that I will share over the next couple of days.  I started with his first so that you could see the heart of this young man.  Despite his situation and circumstances, his optimisism is astonishing.  Perhaps, you can catch a glimpse of why I have fallen love with this country and these people...our brothers and sisters in Christ.  His story shows how little acts of love can be very influential.

Running for My Life (and the life of all the girls on the streets)...

"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" Luke 1:45

This morning, I woke up from a panic-stricken dream.  At the beginning of my dream, I had to get back to Rwanda; there was a sense of urgency, but I do not know why.  We didn't have the money to send me back; however, I went to the airport anyways.  Somehow, I was able to board a flight with no plane ticket or passport.  The next thing that I know is that I am sitting in a woman's car.  I apparently trusted this woman as there was a calmness about the ride.  She was suppose to be taking me to the airport in Kigali to fly back home.  I told her that I was hoping that I could get back home as I had no ticket or passport.  She passed the airport, and as she was pulling up to a car (and a sense of panic started to rise up in me), she told me that she had some work that she wanted me to do for her cousin.  As I looked over, I saw a man who looked like trouble.  I punched the lady in the face (maybe my TaeKwonDo side coming out :) ), got out of the car, and ran for my life.  Then, I woke up.

The "running for my life" dreams are nothing new.  Although, they used to consist of me continuously running from my Step-father in my dreams.  I haven't had one of those dreams in many years.  They were exhausting as I ran and ran for what seemed like all night long...jumping over fences, hiding out in people's back yards.  However, this morning when I woke up, I didn't have a panic for myself but a panic for the all the girls currently living on the streets of Rwanda who are experiencing this same type of fear as I type.  I imagine that they feel trapped by their situations and circumstances just as I did all those years ago.  The difference was that I had a hope.  I had a promise of hope of a better life, a redeemed life that only Christ can offer. 

There is an urgency in me to get back to Rwanda.  An urgency to pull these girls off the streets and share this hope with them.  An urgency to share with them the love that Jesus has deposited in me.  To share the truth that God is love and that there is no fear in love because perfect love DRIVES OUT fear (1 John 4:16-18).  God's timing is always perfect, and I can rest in knowing that he is working behind the scenes preparing hearts for the work of the village and I Will Stand, Intl.  Please join me praying for all that will need to be done for these girls and pray for their protection right now.