Genocide Survivors: Resources

Todd Culbertson (left), editor of the Editorial Pages, congratulates Jason Nshimyumukiza, the 2010 Correspondent of the Yea

About Me

April 7th, 1994, my country Rwanda fell into an unnamable horror. We were overwhelmed by terror, agony, and death. Humanly speaking, there was no way of escape. We have lived a genocide that was known by the whole world. For this reason however, I have a hard time to understand why no one intervened.

We only came to understand what was happening after seeing Hutu were systematically killing from house to house.
In my family we were about 200 including my parents, my younger brother, cousins, and aunties, etc. Less than 10 are the only one who survived among all these people! However my lovely wife is the only one who survived among all her family of more than 300 people.
Fear and agony started to invade us. There was nowhere to run to, for there were military roadblocks set everywhere. At this time there was nothing else to be done than to turn my eyes to the only one who is more than able to save us, my God! My faith in God and in His word became great! I desired so much to live. I came strongly against standing in one place and wait to be killed, and I found it unjust that somebody would decide to take my life just like that! It was unacceptable! My faith in God and in Jesus Christ was so strong and real that it had become a fortress in which I heed. I tried to run every day 24/7 for about two months, and then I got very tired and decide to hide in a small pit every day before the sun rise. I saw the hand of God each day. He saved some of us many times and my hope became stronger despite the hard circumstances we lived.
Every single day killers hunted and opened fire on us and started shooting. Believing we were all going to die, they did not bury my family and friends, the bodies were on hills. I was shocked but, I kept my hope in the everlasting God. He looked down up on me and heard my cry. He lifted me up from the pit of destruction. He set my feet on the rock and strengthened my steps. He gave me a new song, Now 16 years later, my wife and I have tree beautiful kids. Look for me around the community as I am a resident of Virginia,USA and I continue working with The Hermitage.