Reehem's Home

We continued our travels and arrived at Reehem’s home. Her mother was just returning from the Gacaca – which is held in the villages every Tuesday – it is mandatory that each member of the village attend and are fined if they do not do so. The Gacaca is where the prisoners come in front of the community and proclaim their innocence; if any community members witnessed the prisoner’s participation in the genocide they are not released. We passed truck loads of prisons clothed in their pink uniforms being transferred back to the prison. It is said that very few are released as a result of the Gacaca. Reehem’s two brothers were killed during the genocide. Three older brothers died of aides and other diseases. She currently has two older sisters. Reehem’s mother was extremely appreciative for Reehem’s opportunity. Reehem is the oldest of Esther Home girls because she missed several years of schooling for lack of sponsorships and family deaths. Reehem, whose smile and personality is so warm and loving, was so overjoyed to see her mother and have us visit her home.

Reehem was our interpreter when we did our mission in 2006. She has great personality and character.

During each visit we shared photos of the Esther Home and the Esther Home girls – each looked on with such wonder and interest.

Our mother-daughter presence took each family by surprise - we would catch them staring at us with such curiosity.

It was a long day; we arrived back at the hotel exhausted but with our hearts full. Each day we find it hard to blog – our days are full and there is so much to share but we enjoy sharing our experiences with all of you so hopefully we can be more consistent with our posts.

Once again we thank you all for journeying with us.