In Her Shoes: Janette

Today we are sharing another story from our In Her Shoes series. We are honored to introduce you to Janette from Rwanda. We share her story today and all of our stories because story is how we relate, how we learn, and how we know that we are not alone.

I am an orphan.

My father died in 1992, and my mother died in 1993. After my mother died, I found good work as a housemaid that paid 700 Rwandan Francs ($0.75) per month.

When the Genocide began in 1994, I fled to another province to stay with family. My cousin raped me, and I felt trapped. I had nowhere else to go, and would die by machete in the Genocide if I left. I had to be quiet about it and continue to live with my rapist to stay safe.

 I became pregnant, and my baby died when it was 2 months old. In Rwanda during this time, the father’s family chose the name for a baby because the meaning of the name is very important. Because I was raped by my cousin, I was considered trash and was shamed. My extended family denied my baby, and refused to give it a name. My biggest sorrow is that my baby died without a name.

After the Genocide, I went back to the capital city of Kigali. I had no parents and no siblings. I was all alone. I found a matron who offered to let me work as a housegirl in her home. She helped to raise me because I was an orphan. Her husband tried to rape me because his wife couldn’t give birth – so I quit my job as their housegirl.

 The third man who attacked me had promised to marry me – so this rape stayed a secret. He took me to live with him. We had a baby, but he left me when the child was 10 months old because his other wives threatened to kill me if he stayed with me. That was sixteen years ago.

 I have lived in poverty since then. I am raising two children alone, and have no money for rent. My biggest hope is that I can provide for my children and not worried about my house falling down.

…

*Story told to Ginger Lobdell, and translated by Eva Mugisha.

** Friendly reminder that all of the women we photograph and share their stories have given their permission.

We are working on expanding job training in Rwanda for Janette and the women in her community. You can support the work by purchasing a handmade SheHopes bag for yourself or donate to give our sisters HOPE around the world! We are honored that Janette shared her story with us, and gave her permission to share it with you today.