Hope Story from Rwanda
And we know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
A Reflection about Nikuze Hannah Blessing, a child of Jean Bosco Ntakirutimana and Providence Nzayisenga
As a newly married couple, my wife Providence and I were highly looking forward to a bright future with expectations of being parents. Consequently, this expectation was shattered within a day. On Friday, May 13, 2011, my wife gave birth to premature triplets. During delivery, we lost a son and a daughter, but Blessing was taken into an incubator for survival. We were in a dilemma and wondering where God had turned. Having two funerals for our two babies was a pain beyond bearing, yet we also thought another funeral for our third child was on the way. However, after many prayers, on June 22, Blessing no longer had to be in an incubator. She came home.
After three months at home, we realized she had eye problems. After doctor visits and communication with friends both in Rwanda and abroad, we were told that her eyes would likely not be repaired. This was another frustration, but we trusted God and He finally provided the means to get to CCBRT hospital in Tanzania. We spent a month there for blood transfusions before attempting the eye operation. Afterward, doctors said that the operation may not be successful and they didn’t think there was any hospital in the world that could restore Blessing’s eyesight.
As a Christian and Theologian with an MA in Theology, I felt that I needed to do something to help ministers of the Gospel who have no Biblical knowledge and also to help vulnerable communities, the blind in particular. I formed a religious based organization, Hillside Hope, in 2013 and it was officially registered in 2015. Friends in Canada provided some of the educational material to help the school begin. Michele Dudley, a board member of Education Equals Hope, provided the money to rent the school. Education Equals Hope helps us meet some of the operational costs of the school. Blessing School for the Visually Impaired (BSVI) opened on January 26, 2015.
God turned our family’s situation with Blessing into a blessing to the other children who live with blindness without hope. They are now at the school learning. BVSI still has many needs, and we have fewer children than we’d like because of financial limitation, but thus far we thank God for what He is doing in our lives. Blessing is now in P1 in our newly born school. Her life has inspired us to give hope to other children with visual impairments like our daughter. We are striving to expand Blessing School for the Visually Impaired so that more children can receive an education tailored to their needs.
See a video about the School when it first started: BSVI
