Three mums who have been supported through Comfort Babies in Rwanda have recently graduated from the project and sent letters to their sponsors, telling of how the project has had an effect on their lives and their hopes and dreams for the future. All of these mums started out in very difficult circumstances, and following years of careful healing and support, they are now looking forward to being able to independently care for themselves and their child, not needing the help of the charity. This is the end goal of all the projects at Comfort International – that every individual would find the care and provision they need through Comfort, and garner the ability to make a living for themselves, not depending on external support. We were thrilled to read of how these incredible women have transformed their lives and are now looking forward to their future which had looked so bleak previously.
Chamimu was living with her mother and 3 siblings, and was 17 years old when she was raped and fell pregnant. Being on the Comfort Babies project was about much more than just financial support, and started a journey of healing in her life. 7 years later, she writes to sponsor Kate, saying, “I want to say a massive thank you for being part of my life transformation since I joined Comfort Babies project until today, where I feel I can move to independent living after all the support I have been given and per the project plan. I joined the project hopelessly, without enough for myself and family, worrying very much about the life I was going to face with my baby.”
Chamimu was able to go back to school to study and started to find work so that she would be able to support herself.
Chamimu and daughter Katia’s lives have been greatly impacted by the project over the years
She continues, “I was able to go back to school. I received love from different Comfort International teams who visited Rwanda and encouraged me a lot to keep focusing as I had so many people behind me with support and encouragement. I was visited at the school more than once by teams checking on me regularly at my school. Through visits my performance was really good! […] I completed high school & started learning from different opportunities around me by using skills I have learnt at school at Comfort Babies by working in different factories as accountant… And now I am working away from Rwanda in Uganda where I sell clothes and bed sheets and covers […] I hope my graduation from Comfort Babies might help another person in need who was like me when I came onto the project in 2016.”
Another mother leaving the project, now with a job at a restaurant and skills for the future, is Solange, with baby Kendra. She writes, “I was able to learn enough about giving all the love I have for my baby and helped to live free of preventable diseases because of Comfort Babies. I am so grateful because I would not be able to live a better life now if it was not your support. I was struggling emotionally when I joined the project with a lot of stress but now I am full of hope for a better life ahead.”
We also shared with you Cyirezi’s story in our Story of the month. We loved to see her stunning wedding pictures and hear of her new life with her husband and her beautiful son, Roman. A wonderful picture of restoration and new life. We wish these three women and their families all the very best as they start out on this new chapter, and are grateful for the inspiration that they are to each one of us.