Rose Mapendo                                                                  (Email Rose)

Rose has a powerful story of courage, forgiveness, and peace building.  

Her story can be divided into three parts:

3.       Her life in the United States

Her Life in Congo Before 1998

Rose Mapendo is a Tutsi Congolese from the Tutsi Banyamulenge tribe born in a remote village of Mulenge in East Congo. She was married like the majority of girls at a very early age (16 years) in 1979. She never been to school and was raised to become a wife and a mother.  In 1994 she moved from her village to a big city called Mbujimayi (the capital city of Kasai Oriental) to give her six children a chance to attend school boys and girls alike, a chance she never had.  Her and her husband who was educated started a successful Butcher business. Her husband was the only son of her parents. She and her husband wanted to have as many children as they can have. In 1998 Rose’s life became a nightmare.

Rose's Life in Death Camp

After 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Rose never thought that it would happen in her country (Congo). In Aug 2, 1998 she was surprised by the government (Mayor) who sent police officer to her house looking for her husband, however she denied that her husband was home while she hidden her husband in home. Consequently, she was taken with her 10months child by police officer to their office to be questioned regarding the location where the husband is and also about where is their money. She said that her husband went to buy more cows for the business. Because their questioning about money, she asked them of how much money can she offer to protect her family and they said that they will think about it. During that period the president had already announced on TV to kill all the Tutsi and take their possessions such as their belonging and money. From that moment she decided to relocate her husband to a safe place. In her own belief, she thought that there are no reason that the government could kill children and women. So in order to protect her family, they all stop going outside during day time. Her Congolese friends and neighbors volunteer to shop for her family. Any time she needed anything she provided the money to them for any shopping needed. September 23, 1998 the government arrested her with seven children together with other 4 families belonging to Tutsi tribe (Banyamulenge). The arrest was at night time around 11:00pm when everyone in the neighborhood sleeping. There were three military trucks full of soldiers. Suddenly, she found herself in death camp with other four families. October 2, 1998 all men were killed by torturing them. They left only children and women saying that lets put them in death camp because they didn’t want to waste their bullets on Tutsi “cockroaches “ women and children. “ We will let them die them one by one by starvation, and all different kinds of abuse”. During the death camp, Rose found out that she was pregnant. There was no food, no water, nothing to sleep on or to be covered with during night time. Rose never had a chance to visit the doctor and they were guarded by four soldiers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The death camp was located in the militia brigade’s an old classroom for military academy.  There were mango trees in the surrounding. Due to starvation children and women started to eat green mango that caused them diarrhea of blood. Rose suffered and struggled with her pregnancy and her seven children. Rose cried out by questioning God why did He make her to be a Tutsi? Why is she a Congolese? Why is she a woman?, and why He lets her become pregnant while, as God, He knew that all this was going to happen? Rose was angry at God because she arrested because of who God made her to be and it was not her choice to be who she was, a Tutsi/Banyamulenge woman. And she was telling God that if being a Tutsi is a crime that is God’s crime because He is the only one who made different tribes, genders and races.

Rose was afraid of what will happen by the time of the birth because she was sharing the same death camp room with 32 children and 4 other women after their husbands were executed. Two of these women and two of these children died in the government’s eyes with starvation and infections. In reality we did see them die because they were taken away from us in a very critical condition and never came back.

Rose was begging to God to let her die  before her children and before giving birth to new born she was sure will not survived the worst hygiene and health conditions they were in.  Rose did not have anything to feed children; her body was covered of lice, and the prison cell she was sharing with other 34 other detainees were full of flies that were attracted by the floor covered by children’s poop as there was no bathroom. Children were having diarrhea of blood and were suffering from malnutrition. The only medicine we were using was the crushed tomato leaves that we were sticking in wounded anal opening.

Rose was asking God to either take the pregnancy out or don't let it grow. After asking God all these questions she began to think about how the soldiers will come and take her children to be killed as it was done to many others. She began to think about suicide. But when she looked at her children, it was hard for her to kill herself and leave her children alone after her husband was murdered. She was very angry against God who created her as Tutsi and as a woman. She was sure God did not create her as a Tutsi and a woman by mistake or by accident

Rose skin was pealing off and was hardened because of sitting and laying of an unclean, cold, and unprotected cement floor. Lice and dirt caused itching and sores. She had only one cloth she wore during these 16 months she spent in death camp. No one day the captors gave them even soap or a tooth brush

After all these suffering she felt that she will not make it and she realized that she was going to die. But she wanted to die free from anger and bitterness. Rose asked God for forgiveness whatever bad thoughts she had and whatever bad words she said about God. She also decided to forgive her captors/enemies who consider her as their enemy.

After forgiveness she became free from anger against God and her enemies. She felt her joy and inner peace with herself and others. Something has changed inside her even though suffering was still the same and worsening.  And it was time for her to give birth while she didn't know that she carried a pregnancy of twins because she never visited any doctor since they were put in death camp. Her joy and peace she had after forgiveness inside her helped her to stay positive.

She gave birth in a dark room without any electricity and with 29 children in the same room. She gave birth in silence because she did not want to scare children and did not want the soldiers/guards to know because everyone they took to “the hospital” never came back. For them the hospital was the place they were throwing dieing people because they were coming the next day to tell us that we need to be grateful to them because they buried the person they took. 

Rose gave birth to the first baby on a concrete floor that never been cleaned for the eight months they were in. But she realized that her abdomen was still kind of big. The other woman who survived with her was standing behind her to prevent children from contemplating the scene told her that she might have another baby inside. 10 minutes later the second baby was born.

The small and weak new born babies were laying on a dirty floor. Rose and the other woman could not found any thing to cut umbilical-cords. Rose asked the other prisoner lady who was helping her to give to give her a piece of wood which she used to cut the umbilical-cord. Rose took the string from her to tie them off to stop bleeding. Miraculously, after giving birth to twins, she named them after her enemies in order to protect her children by telling them that she is not their enemy.

Rose's Life in the United States

Upon her arrival in the United States, Rose did not forget people who did not have a chance to be resettled in the United States she left behind. She started saving some money to send to the most vulnerable people: widows and orphans. She was mobilizing other refugee to contribute some money to send to the less fortunate people in refugee camps and in internally displaced groups.

Rose started Mapendo International and worked with resettlement for six years. But even though she understand and full support that people like her get resettlement to safer places, she also realized that it was a very small portion who get that chance. More than 99% of those who are victim and who are greatly suffering are in Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. Rose decided to focus on helping in these countries. She and her brother, Dr. Kigabo joined forces and co-founded Mapendo New Horizons.