Genocide: a survivor's story

A Michigan State University report by Sue Nichols, Senior Communications Manager for Science and Research at MSU, introduces Jemima Mukashyaka, a young woman from Rwanda who writes about her personal experiences before, during, and after the 1994 genocide.

Jemima narrowly escaped being killed, lost many family members, and suffered after the genocide period. Today, thanks to the coffee business she runs, her life is better.

Photo by Sue Nichols, University Relations, Michigan State University
(Used with permission)

Read more about the coffee project in the MSU webpage, Rebirth brews in Rwanda with a land-grant assist from MSU.

Your turn:
Comment on Jemima Mukashyaka's life experiences. What do you think of the coffee project, PEARL? Is this a good way to help people  in Rwanda? Why or why not?

Comments

[Sun Ah Lim]

People who experience a terrible incident such as war or genocide are emotionally scarred after that experience.

Jemima overcame her terrible experience. She restored a destroyed house and ruined plantation. Having been given a better life, she and her family have not only coffee, but also hope.

[Seo, Inji]

When I read this article, I felt very sad. When the genocide began Gemima Mukashyaka was just 16 years old, but she wisely overcame problem. Now she can live more peacefully.

[Seo, Inji]

Usually when we help other people, we just think of sending money, food, medicine or clothes. We just give something. But PEARL is very special. This project helps Rwandan people stand on their own feet by growing coffee. This is a very good idea.

[Lee, Eun Hyun]

When I saw the article about that girl, I felt sympathetic. 16 year-old-girls must enjoy their school life and play with their friends. She suffered severely but fortunately she found her two younger sisters. Also, she can work on her parents' coffee farm and support herself. Coffee is her only hope.

[Lee, Eun Hyun]

Because of the PEARL project, people in Rewanda can help pool essential resources and establish relationships with universities in the world. Because they can earn more money, they don't need to live in poverty any more. PEARL project is the hope of the Rwanda people.

[Sung Hwi Chung]

Gemima Mukashyaka's case was awful and it shows us how bad the Rwandan genocide was. Hutus and Tutsi are from the same ethnic group, but some Hutus hurt and killed many Tutsi people. Many Hutu soldiers tried to rape her, but the man who married her always saved her.

She said that she was frightened to death and was waiting for her death every day. That part is very sad and it explains horrific Rwanda genocide.

However she got her life back because the man who married her saved her and she had her parents' coffee trees. She harvested 300 kg of coffee and got 150 dollars. That is very high income in Rwanda. Also, she went back to school.

[Sung Hwi Chung]

Coffee is the most important main agriculture in Rwanda, so project PEARL, which stands for partnership to enhance agriculture is very helpful to Rwandans. The genocide was very harmful, so growing coffee is a way to bring hope to Rwanda. It is their livelihood, so coffee farming is the most important thing for many people in Rwanda.

[Lim Ju Hee]

Though Gemima was faced with painful conditions, she didn't lose her courage. So I was impressed by her bravery.

It is sound judgment that she made a resolution to renovate 400 coffee trees. Thanks to coffee, she has found her life worth living and has hope for a better future. Without air, we could no live even a single day. Similarly, If there were no coffee, she couldn't live anymore. Coffee is the most meaningful thing in her life.

[Lim Ju Hee]

I think the project PEARL is very successful. Because it brings hope to RWANDA farmers who are depressed, and it has convinced them that a lot of people are helping them. Thanks to PEARL, many farmers can have a good chance to get education, health insurance, and savings promotion. I hope that the PEARL project is not a temporary expedient, but is a project that will continue.

[Eunjin Kim]

When she decided to cultivate the coffee trees, her life improved. It was a kind of turning point in her life. Growing coffee meant that she could do everything. It made her braver. It gave her self-confidence as well as money. She knew people were concerned about her because organizations were helping her grow coffee.

[Eunjin Kim]

PEARL is an effective system to help Rwandans who was suffered during the genocide. It made Rwandan farmers more progressive and gave life meaning for them. It made them aware that a lot of people are helping them. The name PEARL is suitable for this reason a pearl is a kind of jewelry, and project PEARL can be a jewel in the lives who had lost meaning in their lives.

[Mi Hye Ahn]

She suffered during genocide. She lived in fear everyday. But when she returned to Gikongoro, she found her family. She decided to renovate the coffee trees, so she joined Maraba Coffee Growers Association. She was able to sell her coffee at higher prices, which gave hope to her and a way to live.

[Mi Hye Ahn]

I think that this coffee project is good. It helps Rwanda people who are having economical differences because of the genocide. It also energizes Rwanda. So, I think that it is very special project because it gives substantial aid.

[Demba]

I think Pearl is an excellent project for Rwandans and also for universities. It helps Rwandans to go beyond their borders because they never knew anything else outside of Rwanda before. Now they have the possibility to cooperate with foreigners. Also Rwandan can take many advantages from that partnership such as health insurance etc. In my opinion that cooperation is the beginning of a new life for the rwandans.

[Sujeong Hong]

In my own opinion, the best advantage of PEARL is that Rwandans can make progress in rebuilding their country. It is different from donationg some money. Rwandans are trying to improve their lives and feel pleasure in the help of PEARL.