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