Florence Mukabahizi with her daughters, Giselle, Josiana,
and Joseline (left to right), and her brother, Filbert Nyaminani.
Photo: Calvary Baptist Church of Denver |
CWS Refugee Stories from Across the Decades:
Florence Mukabahizi, Rwanda -- 2003
When Florence Mukabahizi fled her homeland to save her life and the lives of her children during the 1994 genocidal war in Rwanda, she had no way of knowing the next nine years would be sent moving from country to country, from one refugee camp to another.
In August 2003, Mukabahizi with her three daughters, Josiana, 14; Joseline, 11, and Giselle, 10, and her brother, Filbert Nyaminani, arrived in Denver, Colorado, where they received a warm welcome from their sponsors at Calvary Baptist Church.
“Refugee sponsorship is an incredible experience for sponsors,” said Jacki Loftis, Calvary’s refugee committee coordinator. “Each of us cannot ‘fix’ the injustices or right the wrongs of the world. However, we have the opportunity to reach out and make the only difference we can – one person at a time.”
Mukabahizi is Tutsi and her husband Onesphore Hategekimana was Hutu. They were caught in Rwanda’s ethnic warfare in the same way that husbands and wives from different ethnic groups were caught in the ethnic fighting in Bosnia. To increase their chances for safety, in 1996 her husband urged Mukabahizi and the children to go to Kenya, and the couple lost touch with each other.
Shortly after Mukabahizi arrived in Denver, she learned her husband was in Zambia and was able to contact him by phone. But sadly just a few days later she received word that he had been killed in a car accident. Calvary Baptist held a memorial service in honor of Hategekimana to help the family deal with the tragedy.
According to Loftis, the girls are quite fluent in English and are making good progress in school, taking advantage of Calvary’s homework program for middle and high school students. Other support has included assistance with a house and furnishings, clothing and medical appointments.
“We celebrate the resettlement by American Baptists of more than 90,000 refugees since the end of World War II,” said Kenneth George, who coordinates the program for National Ministries.
Source: January/February 2004 Mission in America newsletter of the American Baptist Churches in the USA National Ministries.