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Artisans
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Stories
"On any given day at CfA, our craft room is a bustling atmosphere of busy
card makers. Sitting amongst several wooden tables, over two-dozen staff are
smiling, concentrating, discussing, gluing, tracing, bending wire, and laughing.
Many art supplies are sprawled across the tables including pastels, paper, and
scissors. It is cool in the cement building... a comfortable retreat from the
warm African sun outside. The faces and the atmosphere are friendly. Every staff
member has a story of personal triumph to tell that contributes to this unique
setting... |
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| Here are a few of them: |
Germaine's
Story
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Before 1994, Germaine lived with her
9 brothers and sisters and her mom and dad, who were
a businessman and a teacher, respectively. Both of
her parents and her five eldest siblings were slaughtered
in the genocide and she was left at age 11 as the oldest
of her brethren, to care for her 3 younger sisters
and 1 younger brother. In addition to losing her family,
Germaine was left with a demolished house and no belongings.
Her siblings were in desperate need of nourishment
and clothing. Germaine was frustrated because she believed
she was not supposed to be supporting these children
who looked up to her as the almighty. Children would
come to her for answers and she could not provide them
with a response because what she had seen was beyond
her grasp. After the genocide, Germaine spent a long
time in loneliness, often crying for days and nights
on end. She had a deep wound in her heart and wondered
why she had not died as well, but instead left to care
for these children while in need of a parent or guardian
for herself.
Germaine is now 23 years old and still looks after
her siblings who are 18, 17, 15, and 13 years old.
She now has an occupation at Cards from Africa and
is able to earn money to pay rent for a house they
can live in, feed themselves without depending on
the goodwill of neighbors, buy clothes, and school
supplies for their education. Germaine is proud to
see a beautiful card made by her own hands. It also
gives her joy to know that they are created from
nothing or what was almost useless. She believes
that God is part of this, that he has not foresaken
her, and that brings her serenity. She is now able
to enjoy the blessings of life with her dear ones
because they are together. Someday, Germaine wants
to start her own business, maybe a shop. |
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Theoneste's
Story
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Theoneste once lived with his two parents,
2 younger brothers, and 2 younger sisters. His parents
were farmers with some land and cattle. In 1994, he lost
both of his parents, his 8 year old brother, and the
family's cattle. Theoneste was forced to care for his
younger brother and two sisters who needed food, clothing,
and education. In his own words "I was 10 and I
had to grow up and provide for my family as none was
left even in my extended family to take care of us." He
was able to finish primary school but could not continue
his studies with all of his responsibilities. So, Theoneste
began to farm his parents' land but soon sold it off
piece by piece to survive the days.
Since working for Cards from Africa he has been able to provide
for his 20 year old brother, Charles, and his 15 year old sister,
Rachel. His 13 year old sister was adopted by another family
when they lost their parents. For his two younger siblings,
Theoneste is able to give them food, clothes, and school materials.
In addition, through working with others in his same condition,
he has been able to regain a sense of trust as well as a hope
for the future. On a practical level, he has learned how to
save money and problem solve wisely. In the future Theoneste
would like to learn English, French, and go to music school
to perform his gift (the guitar). |
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Rachel's
Story
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Rachel is an 18-year-old who takes care
of her 15-year-old sister and 12-year-old brother. She
was just 4 when her dad died from stomach ulcers and
only 11 when her mum died from AIDS. Her aunt eventually
took them in but was too burdened by having three mouths
to feed. She made life very difficult for Rachel including
making her get up at 4 in the morning to do a heavy workload
of chores. This led to many school absences and a lack
of time to complete homework. She went from the top of
her class to the bottom in just a year. Rachel and her
two siblings soon moved back to the mud house they had
lived in with their mother. By the time she had died,
her mum had sold everything to buy food for them, The
children were left to sleep on the floor of a completely
empty mud house, wear tattered clothes, and when they
did find food, it was a very poor diet.
Since Rachel started working for CfA she has been able to do
a great many things. She is now able to pay the yearly health
care fee in case her brother and sister fall ill and need to
see a doctor. She has purchased furniture for her home as well
as new mattresses for them to sleep on. Her brothers and sisters
are both eating well and wearing better clothes. The joy and
dignity that come with providing for everyone's needs is a
new experience for Rachel." |
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