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Out of the Valley of Death, a Call to Lead
By Ruth Besigye, Rwanda Communications Specialist, and Janet Root, Contributing Writer
Christine Uwase's parents were murdered during the
1994 Rwanda genocide. Compassion sponsorship, she says, revived her hope. Now enrolled in Compassion's Leadership Development Program, the confident teenager is excited about her future as a Rwandan leader.
"I was on my mother's back when they shot her in the head," says Christine Uwase. "She died on the spot." Christine was 4 years old.
"We were hunted," she continues softly. For days the terrified family of five children had hidden in their Kigali neighborhood before the Interahamwe (a civilian death squad) murdered their mother.
Fueled by tribal hatred, these violent gangs used guns and machetes to kill an estimated 1 million people during Rwanda's April 1994 genocide.
Christine's father was traveling with his civil service job when the killing began. Christine says, "To this day we do not know his whereabouts."
The family can only assume he was murdered during the genocide.
Christine has not been crushed by her horrifying experience. Instead, this new enrollee in Compassion Rwanda's Leadership Development Program (LDP) has hope for her future.
Like the shepherd boy David, who penned her favorite Bible passage, Christine trusts God who saved her from death and has called her to lead.
"Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid," says the 19-year-old.
"Every temptation I face, I read Psalm 23 and seek God's protection."
Surviving the Nightmare
Christine recounts how God spared her life the day the Interahamwe killed her mom:
"They thought I was also dead so they took another direction, killing other people," she says.
Christine's aunt, who was hiding in a nearby ditch, rescued the frightened child from her mother's still body.
For three days the two hid in the trench with nothing to eat. Christine says, "My aunt told me that I couldn't cry for food like I used to before the war."
After weeks of searching for a safe haven, the pair located a Rwandese Patriotic Army encampment.
There they were amazed to find Christine's brother and sisters.
"We met and hugged for a long time," Christine recalls. "We thought they were killed like our beautiful mother; they thought we were killed."
Soon after their reunion, the siblings and their aunt moved to a refugee camp where they lived for several months before returning to their empty, ransacked house in Rwanda's capital city.
After their homecoming, says Christine, "I was traumatized and hungry for many months. I was hopeless and depressed. Everyone at home was worried by my behavior."
But again, God intervened on her behalf.
Compassion Comes Knocking
"One day a man came to our house with good news," Christine continues.
"Compassion International Rwanda was looking for orphans like us to aid." Once enrolled in Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program, the depressed child's life was transformed almost immediately.
"I started hearing the Word of God, and my relationships at home improved," she says.
"Everyone was happy about the positive change."
Because of Compassion's influence and her sponsor's love and encouragement, Christine adds, "I grew to hear about and respect God."
Christine thrived on the food supplements she and her family received through the program.
Compassion's trauma counseling helped her to heal from emotional wounds.
As she grew, the lessons learned from her difficulties, she says, "gave me courage to work hard at school."
Kingdom Leadership
Christine's courage and hard work gave her another opportunity — one that only about 3 percent of children graduating from secondary school in Rwanda receive* — the opportunity to go to college.
When she graduated from high school in 2008 with good grades and high test scores, she was one of 35 Child Sponsorship Program graduates chosen for Compassion Rwanda's Leadership Development Program.
Christine knows she would not be able to attend college without the help of her sponsor. "I love her and thank her for supporting me," she says, and "I promise to please her through my good academic performance."
Greg Muger, Compassion's Ministry Director of the Leadership Development Program, explains that the LDP "identifies Compassion graduates, like Christine, that have leadership potential and equips them to literally transform communities and nations."
"Rwanda's genocide tragedy claimed many leaders," adds the Rev. Samuel Rugambage, Compassion Rwanda Country Director.
"But the Leadership Development Program will help fill the need of developing outstanding men and women of God to lead our country."
Christine is determined to be one of them. She is majoring in political science at the National University of Rwanda-Butare and plans to be a public servant.
Her dream: "Leading a peaceful nation, united by the goal of ending the tribal hatred that caused the 1994 bloodshed."
Ensuring that children are protected under the law also drives her ambition.
"We have already seen how many LDP graduates are starting to transform our world for Jesus Christ," Muger says.
"We envision that one of our students will one day be the president of his or her country."
Christine smiles, and says, "I believe God has a purpose for me."
*Source: UNESCO, http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx.
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