This afternoon, we were in for a really cool treat! Our driver and guide from SURF came to pick us up for our hour drive to Nyamata. Here we were going to witness the miracle of life.

Back in 2009, INSPIRE!africa and SURF teamed up to build a medical clinic to serve members of many surrounding communities. It evolved to include a maternity ward as the needs of the women became known. The first year it was treating up to 600 patients/month, by 2023 that number has sky-rocketed to more than 3000. Luckily, another clinic has recently opened up to take some of the pressure off of this one.

The clinic has been self-sufficient for many years now, but they still have struggles sourcing and buying new equipment for various reasons. For example, they have been needing a third birthing bed for awhile but need to wait their turn for one to become available. It seems like such a simple request, an inexpensive item to get, but, in a country with limited resources, these requests are infinitely more difficult. As a result, INSPIRE!africa is working to source one privately for them.

Learning about this huge endeavour was amazing, but, (and I kind of hate to admit it…) the best part of this visit? BABIES!!! We got to go into the maternity and meet the mothers with their brand new babies. There were seven born on the day we were there! SEVEN!!! We handed out baby blankets and onesies to some very grateful and tired mommies.

One of the moms asked me if I wanted to hold her newborn – uhm, YES! So, I got to sit on her bed, take her son, Obed, into my arms and cuddle him for as long as we stayed there. Nobody could get that baby out of my arms. Except his mom and lucky for me, she was in no rush. Obed was number five for her so I’m sure she was happy to have somebody else hold him for a little while. I was in heaven.

All too soon, our visit came to an end. I gave Obed one last cuddle and handed him back to his mom. Back in the bus for us.

Our next visit wasn’t going to be nearly as joyful, but it was just as important. The Nyamata Genocide Memorial Center is the place where over 10000 people sought refuge in a Catholic Church. Believe it or not, it was the priest himself that betrayed them, allowing the genocidaires entrance.

The stories recounted from this tragedy are horrific, from beginning to end. Bullets, grenades, machetes and clubs. Used over and over until they killed them all, save a handful of survivors that were able to hide under a mountain of dead bodies.

The church is filled with clothing of the victims, strewn along the pews. The walls still show the shrapnel damage. The floor is still stained with blood. The air is still haunted.

The mass graves are emptied and the victims are still in the process of being documented. They had just uncovered another mass grave a few months before our arrival with 320 more victims. It is shocking that they are still discovering these graves, but it means more family members get to have some answers and maybe some closure. 31 years after the fact.

The level of evil that can exist in our world is beyond belief. It never gets easier to face. I cannot imagine how difficult it is for the center’s guides going through the museum and recounting the stories hour after hour, day after day, week after week. In fact, one of our guides stated that he stops following the groups inside the museum as it was becoming too difficult to keep hearing. We have to remember that EVERY single person we meet or talk to has been DIRECTLY affected by the genocide. The trauma is still at the forefront of their reality and the mental anguish can be paralyzing.

What is also important to remember and recognize is the strength, determination and grit of the Rwandans. To see how far they have come in 31 years is both admirable and inspiring. I felt that hope has a real place here. A future is being forged as we speak, in this very moment, in a positive and peaceful direction.

Rwandans are determined to learn the lessons from this tragedy. They are determined to make sure it never happens again. They are determined to remember the victims. Determined to honour the deaths. Determined to survive. Determined to thrive.

Determined.