Ex-refugee preaches peace

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 doctor who lost her father, mother and sister in the Rwandan Genocide is telling her story to make the world a better place for all.

Mireille Twayigira fled to Malawi, where she won a scholarship to study medicine in China after emerging tops in the 2009 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations.

She now shares her lucky escape from civil wars in Rwanda and the Democratic of Congo (DRC) to lobby for peace.

Girl on the run Mireille, now working at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), was six years old when she arrived at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa, where she did her primary school.

She got selected to Likuni Girls Secondary School in Lilongwe, where she scored six points in her MSCE.

Born in a Tutsi family of three in Butare Province, 123 kilometres from Kigali, Mireille personifies a tale of perseverance that offers African politicians and warmongers food for thought.

She was only two years old when the 1994 genocide erupted and now counts herself lucky to have lived to tell her story even in Vatican.

“I don’t remember much, but my father’s burial is seared in my mind. When he was killed, his body was brought home, wrapped in a blue fabric,” Mireille recalls.

This forced the family to flee to the neighbouring DRC where her mother and one-year-old sister died of curable illnesses due to a breakdown in healthcare.

“Life had to go on,” she says. “I went to stay with my grandfather, but in November 1996, our safe haven was invaded by Banyamulenge rebels, who terrorised our lives,” Mireille recounts.

The displaced family split, like many Rwandan refugees, in the war-torn forests.

“We begged for food from villagers. At times, we survived on wild roots and fruits. We drank from bloodstained rivers with bodies floating,” she says.

The barefoot exodus ended in Angola, where armed groups “forced boys to carry ammunition into the battlefields and turned little girls into their wives”.

She narrates: “Some got pregnant and others contracted sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. I was only spared because I was too young.” she narrates.

Displacement, from one camp to another, left child refugees like Mireilla malnourished, “with a swollen tummy, hair loss and swollen cheeks”, recalls the self-made peace advocate.

She arrived at Dzaleka in 2000 via Zambia, where her grandfather hoped she could get a decent education.

“The refugee camp wasn’t bad for a girl my age because I had food, shelter, friends and a loving grandfather,” she says.

MireillE’s only relative in sight died shortly after she had completed Form Two at Likuni.

“I wept uncontrollably, but only had my good grades to take me through the grief of losing my entire family. I did not let it stop me,” she asserts.

In 2009, the Chinese Embassy, in conjunction with Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS), offered her and five other high-scoring girls life-changing scholarships.

Mireille’s coveted MSCE score persuaded the Parliament of Malawi to offer her citizenship and passport in time for her medical studies in China.

She graduated in July 2016 and did internship with various healthcare facilities before shifting to QECH.

“Before going to China, I used to see myself as a girl with a tragic past and nothing more. However, I realised that I was a girl with a story to tell—a story that can change somebody’s life,” she says.

As she enjoys peace in “the Warm Heart of Africa”, Mireille sympathises with displaced communities running for their lives in biting cold with bombs and bullets blazing behind them.

Call for peace

And she has food for thought for the continent’s warlords. “Why not end all the violence? Why wait for an outsider to resolve our disputes?

“Is the money and blood at the expense of their money really worth it? Why not try the cheaper alternative of forgiveness, peace and love?”

Acting ZBS board chairperson Beatrice Msindira says the private media house is honoured to be part of her rise from the ashes and contribution beyond Malawi.

“Dr MeriellE is not only the embodiment of perseverance, grace and diligence, but continues to be the ray of hope for others trudging the same path she once took,” she says.