“I knew God since I was very
little. In our area the killing started in 1992
but then only my grandfather died. We used to pass
our nights in the trees. In 1994 it started again
and my father told me “maybe we survived in
’92 but this time you may be the only one to
survive.” My mum and dad and five brothers
and sisters all died. They opened my mother up and
took her baby. I was the only one to survive. We
went to Nyamata church and I went into a corner.
When they killed people they fell on me and I was
under the corpses. I was suffocating and the blood
came over my face so that when I gulped air I took
in a lot of people’s blood. But I survived
and ran away.
I went to a convent but they killed all the nuns and I was the only one who survived. Everywhere I went I was the only one. There were no houses left and all the dead people remained on the ground.
I went near a lake and hid in the swamp but the mud sucked me in and I couldn’t move. For two weeks I couldn’t move and my skin was burnt off and my arms and legs became useless. Some people found me and rescued me but I couldn’t walk and the interahamwe found me and beat me very hard until they said “she’ll be dead tomorrow.” All night those who were still not dead were crying and screaming so I moved away but the interahamwe found me again and said “here is another cockroach to kill.” They took us and started beating and killing and I got covered in blood and they thought I was dead so I survived.”
After they had gone I managed to reach the RPF. We saw many bad things but above all there is a God who can comfort me. Before the genocide we used to ask advice from our family, but now the Holy Spirit guides me. If I hadn’t known God maybe I would have become a prostitute or taken drugs. God will not stop looking after me, He will be there tomorrow. I have clothes and I eat and drink so I have hope. “
Chantal has received the first home to be built at the Bugesera project. As her home was destroyed in ’94 she has never had a home since then and she has been told to leave her most recent shelter. She is delighted and very grateful to have received her home.
