Through writing, 28-year-old author, Anathole Dusengumuremyi, wants to make a difference in the world—having noticed the many issues affecting society. Losing his father at a young age, and having to deal with a negligent mother, his childhood was anything but peachy, as he toiled to not only get what to eat, but also find a sense of belonging. While on the streets, he wandered about with no guidance, often experiencing hostility from people. Society spoke adversely about him, saying that he would ‘never find greatness’, and the only thing he would ever be was a house-help. Even when he asked for assistance, the responses were accompanied by insults. He noticed that very few people reach out to orphans in need. At some point, he thought of committing suicide as life wasn’t offering anything he longed for. But deep down, he still had some hope. His story “Before I joined the streets, I stayed with my mother. I lost my father many years ago. At the age of five, I remember there were different men beating me at night, my mother would come home with drunk men who threw me outside of the house. And that is when I decided to go live on the streets in Ngoma District,” he says. Being on the streets for five months was tough. But one day, as he walked around the market begging for money and food for survival, he met a man called Issa who felt sorry for him, took him to his home and gave him some food. Issa then asked him to narrate his ordeal and why he was on the streets. Issa took pity on him and asked him if he was willing to transform so as to stay with his family. He was married with two kids. And so he took Dusengumuremyi in for a year. His second book. Unfortunately, Issa later relocated to Kenya. He left Dusengumuremyi in the custody of friends, though the help didn’t last for more than a year. His mother didn’t bother looking for him and so he went back to the streets for about eight months. He felt completely alone. He went to sleep hungry, and wondered why he was so deprived yet other children had it easy. He imagined orphans in Rwanda and other parts of the world who were going through the same situation. He wondered what he could do to change their plight, and his own, if only even a little. He wanted to write, but since he barely had an education, he had no idea how or where to start. Dusengumuremyi during an interciew about his books. Photos/Courtesy One of the things that helped him through the tough times was silence; he was of the view that silence evades many regrettable things. Light at the end of tunnel However, things started to change for him, again. “Before I was taken in by Africa New Life Ministry, (an NGO that transforms lives and communities through preaching the gospel and acts of compassion) and Life Bible Church, I was completely dead mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally,” he says. Although many evangelists preached about love, Dusengumuremyi thought they were lies since he had never experienced the unconditional love of God they talked about. He later looked for his mother whom he heard was staying at his grandmother’s house, and tried to bond with her. Since he had started school with the help of Issa at Kibungo Catholic School, but later dropped out when he (Issa) left the country, when he reunited with his mother, she took him to Sacara Primary from primary three to five. Sadly, Dusengumuremyi had to drop out of school again in primary five as his mother fell ill and couldn’t support him anymore. He then found work with a construction company, and one of the contractors assisted him in finishing primary level. After completing primary six, he went back to the streets but would pass by the construction site for any work available, even though he was too young and couldn’t manage to carry heavy things. Some of the engineers tried to discuss his issue to find means of helping him. They connected him to people who helped once in a while. The construction company relocated to Kayonza, and he moved with them. As they had a contract to construct a house at Africa New Life Ministry, Dusengumuremyi was seen carrying heavy building materials by one of the members of the organisation and was eager to know why he wasn’t in school. Some of the members of the Ministry approached leaders in Kayonza to know more about Dusengumuremyi’s situation. With time, the organisation got him a room where he stayed with some of their workers, as they monitored his behaviour. They later united him with other disadvantaged children in Kayonza at one of the organisation’s homes and started paying for his education from secondary to university. African New Life Ministries and New Life Bible Church got him, and many others, off the streets. They gave him all the support he needed, financially, emotionally, and psychologically. They put him through school at St Teresa International High School, then at Africa Renewal University in Uganda, and he is now a graduate of Business Administration. He is still in touch with Africa New Life Ministry as his guardians. Unleashing his passion Using his emotional scars, he was driven to write his first book titled “The Bridge Orphans Get through to Greatness”. He started writing as a profession in 2012. In his book, he calls upon orphans to keep doing good, even when they don’t get the care they deserve, because when the time is right, God will lift them and make their lives better, just like He did his. Dusengumuremyi encourages all orphans to restore the hope, energy and giant in them and switch the lights on in dark days and moments. This is because one day they will end up changing the world in many ways as God gifts everyone differently. Although he has about 100 books in draft, he has managed to publish four, others include, “Shame on you Africans not Africa”, “New Me”, and “Better Ideas Better Nation”. All his books are on Amazon and are printed by Children’s Peace Library Kigali, a publishing house. He developed his love for writing in 2005 as he used to engage mostly with the elderly about his purpose. He knew he had something in his heart that he wanted to share. He was unique, compared to many of his age mates, while they took part in other activities like playing games, attending church, among others, he was comfortable being alone as he had many things on his mind that he wanted to share with the world. Although sometimes he writes about his life experience, occasionally he highlights issues that affect Africa that need to be solved. In his second book, “Shame on you Africans not Africa”, he talks about how blessed Africa is with all her natural resources, but still relies on other countries for help, a thing he says is keeping us behind. He wonders why Africa is a rich continent but still poor, yet if such resources are used to the maximum, many jobs could be created, thus curbing unemployment. In his third book “New Me”, he believes in knowledge but not connections. To him, transformation begins with the mind. Having been given a chance at a good education, he wants to share his wisdom with the world. While writing, Dusengumuremyi is more fascinated by psychology, wisdom and entrepreneurship topics. He takes more than three months to research before writing a book, and two months to edit. While writing, he enjoys listening to music. His favourite book is “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Dr Norman Vincent Peale. Some of the challenges he faces in his writing are lack of other passionate people around within the community, working overtime and at times, having sleepless nights just to add ideas or try to beat his deadline. “I dream of having my own radio station in order to freely broadcast my message and spread positive thinking in our society. But most importantly, provide mental health awareness and give hope to the homeless, orphans and lost children in our country,” he says. Dusengumuremyi says he is not in contact with his relatives, from his father’s side or mother’s. He forgave his mother for the pain she put him through and is trying to create a bond with her, albeit at a slow pace. The two talk once in a blue moon on phone.
