Frederic Ndabaramiye (pictured) tells The Guardian his story and speaks about the program for people with disabilities in Rwanda. He was 14 the bus that he was travelling on was attacked by Hutu rebels. As a warning to others who refused to cooperate with the Interhamwe, they cut off his hands and killed his fellow passengers. Now 26, he has created a community centre for other disabled victims of Rwanda's genocide, teaching them the skills they need to be part of society.Frederic Ndabaramiye's story:
I was 14 years old when I lost both my hands. It happened in 1998 after the genocide in Rwanda. It was during the time when the rebels who were in the Congo came back to Rwanda to continue killing Tutsis. They cut off both my hands with a machete. I was in a bus just outside Gisenyi when the rebels attacked. They approached me and said, "You have to kill these people." I refused.
That is how it began. They said, "What we are going to do to you will be a message for others, it will show them what happens to people who refuse to join us." Because I had refused to kill the others, they cut off my hands. Then they killed everyone, but left me alive.
When it happened I felt dead. My mind was gone. It took around five attempts to cut off my hands. Other people were shouting "Cut here!" – meaning above the elbow. I don't know how to tell you what I was feeling when they cut. I was begging "please leave me two fingers", but they didn't listen. They killed everyone around me, about 20 people. They tied our hands behind our backs and killed them one by one. When they hit someone they fell down. First, second... you feel like you're made of metal, you feel like you're something else, like wood. I didn't think anything. I don't know how to explain it. I could speak, I could think, but I felt dead like wood. That night I slept right there in the bush. I thought I was dead.
The next day soldiers from the Rwandan Patriotic Front found me and brought me to hospital. I was in hospital for one year. After a time I started to forgive them. God had given me a chance to live, so I felt like forgiving these people. I knew there were still many things I could do with my life and I decided I would promote forgiveness and peace to whoever heard my story. Forgiveness is the one thing that can teach us how to love one another and be free to live a better life.
Recently, I met one of the people who had been there when the rebels attacked us. I think a lot of people had seen what happened, had seen people die. This man told me he had sold the clothes and possessions of the victims who were killed. He said to me, "You look like a guy who was there." And I said, "Really? Yes, I was the guy who was there." We are friends now. Some of the people I was in hospital with are still there. It was difficult for them to be treated, but the government helped with medicine. A lot of people lost arms and legs in the genocide. I made a lot of friends in the hospital, both those who were sick and also the nurses.
I went to Madame [Rosamond] Carr's orphanage in late 1998. I was 15 years
old at the time. That's where I met Zachary Deusingimana, who was a teacher
there. We talked about starting an organisation for disabled people. There were so many people who looked like me who had nothing to do, and we wanted to do something for them. In 2005 we opened our first centre in a small room in the centre of Gisenyi. It's like a miracle. It's a dream come true to be able to help as many people as we have. It brings me such joy to see them. People are happy to be here together every day. They talk and laugh. Some of them feel isolated when they're with their families.
Here in Rwanda, families don't understand how serious disability is. Some have the perception that disabled people have nothing to offer society, but other people are starting to understand that they can do things that others can't do. Our centre is called Ubumwe. It means unity, to be as one, together. Our logo is a picture of a disabled person who has lost a leg and is pushing another person in a wheelchair. This portrays the message that together, we can go far.
The centre has a fabric room for sewing and knitting, banana craft and for those who make dolls. We sell what we make. Forty percent of the profit goes to the artists. We started with three sewing machines and now we have seven. We even have a special classroom for deaf children. The special needs teachers are physically handicapped, so are the teachers of knitting and sewing. Even the committee that oversees the running of the centre is made up of mostly disabled people.
When I was at Madame Carr's orphanage I started to paint. There were some painting and drawing supplies and this is when I started to take an interest. I would show Madame Carr my work and she would comment on how wonderful my paintings were. I even went to California for three months to do a course in painting and now I show people how to paint. When I paint I feel a lot of peace and joy, and I want people to know that even if you have a disability there are still many things you can do. I like to ride my bicycle around Rwanda, and even Congo. It is my way of making connections with people. I can help them to learn more about people like me and change their minds about what they think they can't do. I show them what they can do.
• Frederic Ndabaramiye was speaking to Helen Thomas of The Guardian in Gisenyi. To view photographs that Frederic took as part of a project called Through the Eyes of Children, visit the Rwanda Project Web site.
