At 13, Ange Sibo Uwizirerera discovered that the people she had always called her parents were, in fact, her adoptive parents. She had been just one week old when her biological parents were killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Now 32, Uwizirerera has turned her own story of survival into a lifelong mission of helping vulnerable children rebuild their lives. She survived because of the extraordinary courage of family friends Jean Baptiste Bicamumpaka and Adela Mujawabera, who risked their own lives to rescue and raise her as their daughter. ALSO READ: Genocide Timeline April 7, 1994: The day Rwanda plunged into Genocide According to Uwizirerera, she was later told that before her mother was killed, she reportedly gave money to Interahamwe militia in a desperate attempt to spare her newborn baby's life. Her adoptive parents named her Ange Sibo Uwizirerera. The surname Uwizirerera, meaning the one whom God will raise, reflected the extraordinary circumstances surrounding her survival. For years, she struggled to come to terms with the loss of parents she had never known and the identity she had only just discovered. But that painful revelation eventually became the foundation of her life's mission: extending to vulnerable children the same compassion that once saved her. A newborn rescued from Genocide Uwizirerera's father was killed on April 7, 1994, shortly after President Juvénal Habyarimana's plane was shot down. Her mother was murdered on April 15, a day after giving birth. When the Genocide began, her mother had gone into labour and was admitted to Kilinda Hospital in Karongi District. ALSO READ: How vulnerable children are reintegrated into families After learning of her situation, Bicamumpaka asked his wife, Adela Mujawabera, to visit the hospital and, if possible, bring the baby home. Neighbours warned the couple that sheltering a baby believed to be Tutsi could cost them their lives. Despite the danger, Mujawabera brought the infant home. Soon afterwards, Interahamwe militia learnt that a baby believed to be Tutsi was living there and came looking for her. They eventually left without harming the child, reportedly saying she would die anyway because no one would raise her. Mujawabera proved them wrong. She initially fed the baby powdered milk, while a nurse who had cared for Uwizirerera's mother provided two tins of infant formula. Later, Mujawabera was able to breastfeed the child herself and raised her alongside her own children. Learning the truth Uwizirerera learnt the truth about her background while in Senior Two. Although the revelation was deeply shocking, she was overwhelmed by the realisation that she had always been loved as though she were Bicamumpaka and Mujawabera's biological child. ALSO READ: New study sheds light on factors pushing children into the streets That experience planted the seed of a lifelong desire to offer the same unconditional love to vulnerable children. A calling to serve In 2013, while studying at the University of Rwanda's Huye Campus, Uwizirerera often saw children begging outside the university gates. She would give them food or money whenever she could, but soon began asking herself a bigger question: what future awaited them if they remained on the streets? She spent time talking to the children over tea and listening to their stories. Many told her they had ended up on the streets because of family conflict, neglect or extreme poverty. They had dreams like any other child, she said. What they lacked was someone who genuinely cared. Seeing reflections of her own childhood in their struggles, she resolved to help them build better lives. Building new futures Uwizirerera approached Huye District authorities, and together they worked to remove children from the streets, place them in rehabilitation centres, reunite them with their families where possible, and help them return to school. By 2015, many had resumed their education and begun rebuilding their lives. Inspired by those successes, she founded the Street Kids Caring Organisation (SCO), which was officially registered in Rwanda in 2020. The organisation supports street-connected and other vulnerable children through education, meals, life-skills training and recreational activities, including football, to promote confidence and social reintegration. Since its establishment, SCO has supported around 100 vulnerable children, many of whom have completed secondary school or vocational training and are now living independently. The love and spirit of serving others that I have today comes from the people who raised me, Uwizirerera said. They taught me one of life's greatest lessons: helping others. Growing up, I never felt I did not belong to a real family. I only learnt later that I was an orphan, and that taught me that when a child is loved and cared for, they can achieve great things. She says watching children overcome hardship gives her the same hope that others once gave her. Uwizirerera also hopes to one day meet President Paul Kagame and thank him for leading Rwanda's liberation, which she believes gave children like her the chance to survive and grow up in a peaceful country. Parents must do more Uwizirerera believes many children end up on the streets not because they are rebellious, but because they have been failed by their parents. Reflecting on her own childhood, she says parenting has changed significantly. When I was growing up, parents rarely neglected their responsibility to raise their children. Today, when I visit families in places such as Cyarwa in Huye, I sometimes find parents drunk in broad daylight. The situation is so disturbing that entering some homes can be frightening. Drug abuse is widespread, and many parents are failing their children. She believes parental neglect, alcohol abuse and domestic conflict are driving many children away from home. Many children leave simply because they are searching for peace and safety, she said. She argues that addressing the problem requires collective action from families, communities and government institutions to create safe and nurturing homes. A life transformed Among those whose lives have been changed through Uwizirerera's support is 18-year-old Emmanuel Mugisha. He first met her in 2016 after family conflict forced him onto the streets following his father's abandonment of the family. I met her while I was begging for food outside the University of Rwanda in Huye. She helped me leave street life behind, he recalled. With support from the organisation, Mugisha returned to school and is now studying motor vehicle mechanics. If I had not met Sibo ten years ago, I don't know where I would be today. My dream is to work hard so that I can one day help others, just as I was helped. He still remembers the dangers of street life. On one occasion, a stranger lured him into a compound under the pretence of helping him before brutally assaulting him. Looking back, he believes remaining on the streets could easily have cost him his life. Today, he regards Uwizirerera's support as the turning point that restored his hope, dignity and future. Uwizirerera recently organised a Conviviality Day to celebrate children who had successfully left street life behind and begun rebuilding their futures . Without stopping the Genocide and liberating the country, there could not have been such an opportunity to rebuild society, she said.
