Woman of the Week: Immaculee Ilibagiza

written by Kate H.

“I love the American dream. I feel this is the place I was supposed to be in. It’s beautiful. I love it.” -Immaculee Ilibagiza

Although this quote is a happy, positive statement of appreciation, Immaculee Ilibagiza went through a great deal of hardship to get to where she is today. She is an inspiration and an incredible role model for all women. You may or may not have heard of her, but once you hear her story, you will never forget what a wonderful woman she is.

She was born in 1972 in Rwanda, Africa. She and her 3 brothers were raised by their mother and father who were both teachers and farmers doing their best to provide for their children amidst the poverty in their village. They were practicing Roman Catholics and Tutsi. Unlike many families during that time, the Ilibagizas stressed education – not only for their sons, but for Immaculee too. Education for women during her childhood held little importance in the minds of Rwandans. However, due to her hard work, she got accepted to the National University of Rwanda. There, she began to pursue electrical and mechanical engineering. She made a trip home to spend Easter with her family, an Easter she will never forget. Prior to her return, tension had begun to rise between the Hutus and Tutsis, which would ultimately result in the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. The Hutus began persecuting the Tutsis, killing any they came upon. In an attempt to save Immaculee from rape, torture, and murder, her family sent her away to hide in a family friend’s home, who also happened to be the pastor of their church. By the climax of the genocide, Immaculee and seven other women were fearfully hiding in a 3×4 foot bathroom in the pastor’s house. With no room to spare, the women soon became uncomfortable, dirty, and struck with illnesses that would spread to all within the small space. They remained this way for 91 days, which is nearly 3 months.

“I realized that my battle to survive this war would have to be fought inside of me.”

To avoid giving away the end of her book, Left to Tell, I will stop there. I read her book this summer and was truly amazed by her honesty and faithfulness throughout her life. In the middle of unimaginable suffering, doubt, and fear, Immaculee turned to and trusted in her faith. I strongly recommend this book to anyone especially if they need encouragement to persevere through any hardships or forgive anyone who may have caused harm to them.

I will say, Immaculee survived the genocide and worked incredibly hard to gain her life back. She succeeded not only in regaining a sense of normality but also began to look at life from a completely new perspective.

I had the honor of hearing her speak at my high school this fall, and the passion with which she spoke struck everyone in our gym. Near the end of her presentation, she began handing religious tokens out to some of my classmates, many of which were similar to those she used to help her pray while within the bathroom. I will never forget when she went to handout a seven sorrows rosary. She immediately turned to a girl a few rows in front of me and said, “I believe this is meant for you”. The girl was crying as she walked up and hugged Immaculee, thanking her for her speech and her kindness. Though I will never know what had touched my classmate, it was evident that Immaculee was meant to be there at that moment to support and encourage this girl. This story is just one example of her compassion and I cannot even begin to imagine all of those she has helped in her lifetime through her grace.

Immaculee chose happiness. She decided that being happy was more important than holding onto grief and hate. This decision is one we can all make. It will not always be easy, but something we can learn from Immaculee is that joy is always in our lives and it is up to us to find it, embrace it, and leave negativity behind us.

I would like to end this article with one of my favorite quotes of hers:

“…I came to learn that God never shows us something we aren’t ready to understand. Instead, He lets us see what we need to see, when we need to see it. He’ll wait until our eyes and hearts are open to Him, and then when we’re ready, He will plant our feet on the path that’s best for us…but it’s up to us to do the walking.” Immaculée Ilibagiza

This quote has helped me whenever I have been confused or frustrated in my life. To know that God has a plan and is with us has always been comforting to know. I strongly suggest looking up more of her quotes (which you can find here!) as they give great insights into how to live a life of faith and happiness.

Use Immaculee as an example and apply her actions to your life. Whether it is forgiving a family member you will see during the holidays or deciding to find what you do like about a gift that may not be your favorite rather than focusing on what you don’t like…choose happiness, choose to forgive, and have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!