Learning from the Strength of my Family

Last Wednesday my family had individual evaluations. We only got through half so we finished the rest of them today. This is a time where we talk about each person in the family and discuss how they’re doing in all aspects of the village. After this process, I gained even more respect for how this village is positively impacting the youth of Rwanda. It’s amazing to be in a place where each individual well being is seen as important and time put into making each student feel confident and important. I learned many of the stories of the girls in my family for the first time. Each one was sadder than the next. We learned stories of abuse, abandonment, extreme poverty, loss, and genocide. Many of them were told the people that they live with are their parents and found out later that their biological parents had died….new issues arise as they begin to question who they are and they these things have happened to them. All of them lost at least one parent and many lost both parents. It’s amazing how strong each of these kids are after having gone through what they have experienced in life. It’s exciting to hear them talk about how hopeful they are for the future. They are strong.