On Sunday we went to visit some of the many Sisters that are sick. This is always an eye opening experience for all of us, no matter how many times we do it. It’s a reminder to me of the reason we are doing what we are doing. Whenever I start to get down or discouraged, I make myself take time away from all of the office work, meetings and telephone calls and go down and spend time with the Sisters. There could not be a more motivating experience for me personally. Seeing the innocence in their eyes and the joy the feel from a visit from one of us is enough to motivate me to press through any obstacle that comes up.
This past Sunday we went to visit one of the Sisters that has been with us since day one. Her name is Rosa and she’s 39 years old presently living with full blown AIDS. She has three young daughters, one of which is also a prostitute with a baby. When we came to visit Rosa there were 13 other Sisters in the room with us, and it was no large room. It was raining and fairly cold outside, for Rwanda anyway. Rosa was sitting on a small stool, wrapped in a blanket and she her hands were shaking. She kept a cloth over her mouth for fear of breathing on us and infecting us in some way. She has absolutely nothing and survives off of the little bit of money here daughters and neighbors bring to her.
We were there with a two other close friends of ours as well. It was Joseph, Everest (pastor from Burundi), Martin (Kenyan pastor from Kampala, Uganda), and me. There were quite a few languages and nationalities represented in the room, but most of the talking was in Kinyarwanda, as usual, with a little Swahili here and there. The more we talked, the more comfortable everyone became, as always. It’s so hard to imagine Rosa being a prostitute at all. She is such a sweet person and her smile and laughter is what I remember most from that day. We left her with 5000 RWF ($9) for medications and food. It’s the least we could do and part of our commitment to the Sisters.
After visiting Rosa, we went to visit the home of one of the younger Sisters. She was sitting inside a very small room with two small beds and a chair. There were two girls laying in the bed, one girl standing and two boys hanging around inside. I would imagine they were all from 15 – 20 years old. The girl that we were visiting had been beaten by a client last week to the point where she could no longer walk. We helped pay for her medications last week and she seems to be healing up well, though slowly.
The room was small, damp, and smelled of alcohol and cigarettes from the two boys hanging out. From what I could tell that was not from the Sisters, but who knows. Virginia also joined us for this visit and talked quite a bit. She’s really becoming a respected leader in the Sisters community now, which is precisely what we are trying to empower her to do. I’m excited about seeing her grow in that role. I think the other Sisters will be inspired by her success and she will serve as a great example of what this program for do for all of the Sisters.
In the following weeks we are going to be posting the stories of Virginia and Rosa. We want to do all we can to let people into their world. And we also want to get more and more stories from the Sisters and get their thoughts and dreams posted here. Our staff members will also be posting stories. It will take some time for sure, but it’s a very important dynamic to what we are doing.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Welcome!
We want to take a moment to welcome all of you to the new Sisters of Rwanda blog. We will be updating the site weekly with stories from the Sisters and the SOR staff. The goal of having this blog up is to allow people to see into the world of the Sisters and the trials and triumphs of the SOR staff. We want people to know what’s it’s like here and share in some of our experiences.
Here is a letter from our Executive Director to help give you an idea of our passion for working with the Sisters. We also invite you to check out our website if you haven’t done so already. CLICK HERE.
As Executive Director of Sisters of Rwanda, I want to take a moment to welcome you to our organization. We recognize your compassion towards the Sisters and their children, and it is greatly appreciated. They represent a group of individuals that have been rejected, abused, and neglected since they were children. And this is precisely why many of them are in the situation they are in now. Hearing the stories of these girl’s lives is heartbreaking at times. So many innocent lives tattered by the world around them. But these very lives are now filled with hope, inspiration, and the commitment to not only leaving the streets, but starting a new life for themselves and the generations that follow.
When I was approached by Pastor Joseph Ayienga, now my close friend and mentor, with his proposal to reform and nurture the Sisters, I was quite moved by the impact this would have on society. We are now taking great strides in reducing the number of children on the streets, abused women, broken families, and most notably, the spread of HIV/AIDS. Prior to meeting Joseph and hearing his vision, I had no idea how much affect this one group of women was having on these issues. And furthermore, I was astounded at the fact that few major organizations are addressing these issues. We tried for months to partner with someone with the same initiatives, and continued to come up empty handed. So Sisters of Rwanda was born.
Now we are partnering with a number of NGOs that realize the magnitude of devastation brought on by prostitution in Africa. In forming these strategic partnerships, we can now give these girls the opportunity to make a very different kind of impact on society. The same girls that were spreading HIV/AIDS, orphaning their children, bringing up a new generation of prostitutes, tearing families apart, and shortening their own lives are now the ones that have the power to stop that cycle entirely. When other prostitutes see what our Sisters are doing, they want to follow in their footsteps. And we are now training a second generation to break the cycle of extreme poverty and spread of HIV/AIDS in their community. These are the future leaders of this country. The ones that were given another chance. Sometimes people forget that that these girls are real people and not just another statistic. They have dreams just like the rest of us. And in the wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” We exist to remind these girls of the dreams they had as a child and to help make them possible.
Thank you for supporting Sisters of Rwanda and helping us to serve these deserving women and children. For many, your love and compassion is the first they have experienced. Know that you have made a significant difference, not only in one life, but the many that follow. You have truly done something beautiful.
Sincerely,
Jared N Miller
Here is a letter from our Executive Director to help give you an idea of our passion for working with the Sisters. We also invite you to check out our website if you haven’t done so already. CLICK HERE.
As Executive Director of Sisters of Rwanda, I want to take a moment to welcome you to our organization. We recognize your compassion towards the Sisters and their children, and it is greatly appreciated. They represent a group of individuals that have been rejected, abused, and neglected since they were children. And this is precisely why many of them are in the situation they are in now. Hearing the stories of these girl’s lives is heartbreaking at times. So many innocent lives tattered by the world around them. But these very lives are now filled with hope, inspiration, and the commitment to not only leaving the streets, but starting a new life for themselves and the generations that follow.
When I was approached by Pastor Joseph Ayienga, now my close friend and mentor, with his proposal to reform and nurture the Sisters, I was quite moved by the impact this would have on society. We are now taking great strides in reducing the number of children on the streets, abused women, broken families, and most notably, the spread of HIV/AIDS. Prior to meeting Joseph and hearing his vision, I had no idea how much affect this one group of women was having on these issues. And furthermore, I was astounded at the fact that few major organizations are addressing these issues. We tried for months to partner with someone with the same initiatives, and continued to come up empty handed. So Sisters of Rwanda was born.
Now we are partnering with a number of NGOs that realize the magnitude of devastation brought on by prostitution in Africa. In forming these strategic partnerships, we can now give these girls the opportunity to make a very different kind of impact on society. The same girls that were spreading HIV/AIDS, orphaning their children, bringing up a new generation of prostitutes, tearing families apart, and shortening their own lives are now the ones that have the power to stop that cycle entirely. When other prostitutes see what our Sisters are doing, they want to follow in their footsteps. And we are now training a second generation to break the cycle of extreme poverty and spread of HIV/AIDS in their community. These are the future leaders of this country. The ones that were given another chance. Sometimes people forget that that these girls are real people and not just another statistic. They have dreams just like the rest of us. And in the wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” We exist to remind these girls of the dreams they had as a child and to help make them possible.
Thank you for supporting Sisters of Rwanda and helping us to serve these deserving women and children. For many, your love and compassion is the first they have experienced. Know that you have made a significant difference, not only in one life, but the many that follow. You have truly done something beautiful.
Sincerely,
Jared N Miller
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