Rwandan genocide survivor embraces new freedom

This June 20, the family will celebrate World Refugee Day free from the fear of violence and genocide that caused them to move thousands of miles from their home.

JOHN A. TORRES | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Posted: 06.17.09

World Refugee Day 2009

World Refugee Day 2009 will be celebrated Saturday, June 20, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Orlando Public Library, 101 E. Central Blvd., downtown Orlando.

ORLANDO | Celestin left his homeland to study abroad in 1994, four days before Hutus began a systematic genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

He had no idea he would have to leave his country for good.

Upon hearing of the horrors that befell his country, Celestin scrambled to locate family members, many of whom had escaped the country and were living in a refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Being of mixed race – part Hutu and part Tutsi – things were especially dangerous for him.

The Rwandan genocide resulted in the mass killings of hundreds of thousands of people. Over the course of about 100 days, approximately 800,000 people were murdered.

“Life was hard,” he said, referring to the refugee camp. “I wanted to continue my studies but could not. Everything was so unstable.”

Celestin wound up leaving for the Republic of Guinea in West Africa where he lived for 10 years until his application for refugee status to the United States was accepted.

Thanks to help from Catholic Charities of Central Florida Inc., the 37-year-old Celestin – along with his wife and three children – settled in the Orlando area. Celestin works in a bakery, but he cannot escape the fear of the things he has seen.

“Of course I do have concerns,” he said in explaining why he would not allow Florida Catholic to publish his last name or take a family photo. “You never know.”

The family arrived June 26, 2006, and within 90 days both Celestin and his wife had full-time jobs.

“The family arrived as a ‘free case,’ meaning that they did not have any family in the area,” said Deborah Cruz, refugee resettlement coordinator with Catholic Charities. “Our agency provided them with their initial housing, furnishings, orientation and employment assistance.”

This June 20, the family will celebrate World Refugee Day free from the fear of violence and genocide that caused them to move thousands of miles from their home.

For many years, countries were celebrating their own refugee days. Finally, efforts were coordinated to celebrate June 20 – long known as Refugee Day in Africa – worldwide. This was done mainly as a sign of solidarity with Africa, which traditionally has the highest number of refugees.

For Celestin and his family, the day is close to the anniversary of their arrival in this new country where they had to learn culture, language and customs. One thing Celestin said he was surprised to learn here were all the overnight job opportunities.

“Catholic Charities helped me with the job and the culture,” a thankful Celestin said. “They gave us an idea of what to expect.”

Events on June 20 – including a naturalization ceremony in Orlando featuring Bishop Thomas Wenski – are meant to focus on the fundamental need for protection from poverty, violence and other persecution.

For Celestin and his wife, the focus will be to continue the educational opportunities here for their children.

“Celestin and his wife value education very much and are dedicated to providing their children with all the opportunities they can,” Cruz said.

Return to Diocese of Orlando Front Page