Every wedding is special. A celebration of two lives joining together as one, promising to love each other for all eternity and through all the challenges of life. A moment for families to come together and share in the joy and laughter and celebrate the start of a new beginning for the couple. Hopes of a future and a family that will bring delight for many years to come. Yes, every wedding is special. But when that marriage is born out of extreme hardship, when it seemed that this could never be possible for an individual in dire circumstances … then it becomes something even more wonderful – miraculous, even. This is the story of Cyirezi. The story of a young girl abandoned by her father, and then again by her partner when he found out she was pregnant at the age of 18. An angry young woman fighting for her life and the life of her child when she could not eat enough to produce the milk her baby needed. Now, graduated from the Comfort Babies project in Rwanda and launching into new life with her husband and son, with hopes and dreams for the future, she tells her story of transformation.
Cyirezi was living with her mum and 3 siblings when she found out that she was pregnant. She never met her father, who left the family when she was very young. They were poor, and Cyirezi thought that maybe she had found hope in her new partner when she was 17. However, when she fell pregnant, that hope disappeared as quickly as it had arrived and she was left alone with a newborn on the way. When she gave birth to her son, Roman, she was unable to pay the hospital fees and had to stay in the hospital for quite some time before being released. As her young boy grew, there was no money for health insurance or doctors, so they made do without. They ate little, and Cyirezi couldn’t eat enough to produce milk for baby Roman, and there was no money for nappies or clothes. The situation was dire. She started hearing about young mums in her situation that were being helped through the Comfort Babies project and thought they looked “amazing”. She joined the project, hoping to one day be in a better situation than she was now.
Over the next 6 years of her life at Comfort Babies, Cyirezi discovered a family who would take care of her, not abandon her. She was given food and clothes for herself and her baby, and encouraged to learn new skills to be able to work for herself. In 2019, two years after joining the project, she wrote to her sponsor of how her life had changed, “I am so thankful for the life of me and my baby today. My child is really living a better life than I ever expected because before joining Comfort Babies our lives were very difficult. I had no food for my baby; no drinks and I would not even produce enough milk because I had no food to eat. But today I have enough milk and the baby is very well and he is healthy and strong. All of these things I’ve got because I am in Comfort Babies.”
As time went on, Cyirezi grew as a mother and also as a person. She started to know herself much more. She discovered a passion for dancing and story-telling, and a love for motherhood. She started looking into starting a business of her own, something she never expected to be able to do when fighting for their lives some years previous. She was empowered to start relying on herself, becoming self-sufficient, up to the point when this year, in 2023, Cyirezi was able to graduate from the Comfort Babies Project. She wrote of how her life had completely changed direction to her sponsor, Tessa, who had been supporting her over all those years.
“My child has now grown into an amazing boy and I love him very much. He is now in Primary 1, doing well attending one of the good French schools. I feel like a better person and positive in my everyday life. My plans ahead now are to start businesses and small supermarket. I have started saving towards that as I use all opportunities around me. I think God has wiped away my tears of so many hardships I have gone through.
2023 is a really unforgettable year because of so many great memories, including my wedding with my fiancé which was really amazing. My husband loves me very much and I love the fact he cares about my child Roman and helps cover his school fees. He does a lot for me and Roman which is really amazing and I will always be grateful for the gift of a better life God has given me. I feel so special and honoured for all He has done in my life.
So, thank you so much for all the time you have been supporting me through Comfort Babies. Now I am graduating by moving fully to independent living and I hope someone else who might be experiencing hardships like me when I joined the project might take my place.”
This is an amazing story and is testimony to many things. Firstly, to the love of God and the power of hope that He brings to every situation. Secondly, to the commitment of our wonderful partners, Comfort Rwanda, who put so much work into running the Comfort Babies project, and making sure that every mother is cherished and valued, and every child is nurtured and treasured. Also, to how sponsorship truly can change lives by investing in the true value of a person. The faithfulness of Tessa, to relinquish that monthly amount, over many years, to see it literally transform a life, is really beautiful. And finally, to the strength and grace of women like Cyirezi, who suffer immensely, yet still fight on, putting their children first and persevering despite such hardships. Her story is an inspiration to every one of us, and we are truly grateful to be witness to it.
If you’ve been inspired by the story of Cyirezi and Roman, please consider becoming a sponsor for £25 a month, and you could also be part of a story like this.