Visiting Rwanda for the first time in October 2017, we visited a couple of villages with clustered mud brick houses and rough dirt roads, and I could see that there was plenty of need for basic necessities.
That’s why meeting Stanley and his sister Winnie and learning their story of selflessness during a welcome lunch hosted by SEED’s Rwandan colleagues and beneficiaries caught me off guard.
Many of our Rwandan kids stood up and told how SEED continues to impact their lives, but I’ll never forget what Stanley announced when he stood up to speak. He turned towards our SEED team and said, "Today is the happiest day of my life because I get to meet my parents." He explained that his father was absent and his mother was not able to feed Stanley and his nine siblings. He saw us as his “parents” now and often called us “Mom,” because we are able to provide basic supplies and the opportunity for him to go to school.
Stanley speaking to SEED volunteers
Stanley explained that times were often very hard for his family. When they learned that SEED had agreed to provide tuition for one of the kids, Stanley and his siblings discussed which one should receive the opportunity to go to school. His brothers and sisters sacrificed their own opportunities to receive an education and get out of poverty, because they knew Stanley was most likely to graduate and get a job. They trusted that Stanley would be successful and use his success to support the whole family.
Since school was their hope to escape poverty, I expected to hear about sibling arguments and jealousies. I was caught off guard again when Stanley said that his family all agreed that he would be the one to go to school. Winnie, who was listening to him tell the story, jumped in and said, “Stanley works so hard! We all knew that he would have the greatest chance of finishing school.” Winnie and their siblings were genuinely happy that Stanley would have this opportunity!
Stanley with Nicole and his sister Winnie
Stanley smiled big when he heard Winnie say this and told us that he is fully dedicated to graduating, and that he will use his education to get a job and take care of his family well into the future.
I’ll never forget Stanley and Winnie and how, in a time of extreme poverty, they celebrated each other’s successes and dedicated their lives to working hard to support their family.
—by Nicole Mendolera