Visit Esperance Children: A Home Tour For Hope

In 1994, Rwanda became world-famous because of one of the most brutal and systematic genocides in modern history. Between 7 and 9 people were killed every single minute over a period of 90 days. Between 800,000 and 1 million people lost their lives, not with modern weapons but with machetes and pangas.

And in exactly that setting, we have the privilege of having an orphanage — a children’s village. We are taking care of children, but we are doing much more than that. As far as we know, there is no orphanage in the entire world that has ever reached self-sufficiency and economic independence.

That means we are caring for kids while developing infrastructure and income-generating projects. We are transforming a desert into a blooming garden. People say it is impossible, that we cannot do it. But we are sure that we can.

The children are the ones benefiting. We offer them shelter, food, clothing, and health care. And, of course, something extremely important — we send them to school. A poor country like Rwanda needs well-educated, well-trained youth.

We have family settings. In each family, boys and girls of all ages live together. They perform household activities such as cooking, cleaning, washing, doing laundry, and keeping the house in order. In this setting, mothers or fathers ensure that everything functions properly, serving as role models for the children.

If you had visited us four years ago, you would have found that we didn’t have a single drop of water at the Children’s Village Kigarama. Friends from the United States came and helped us. Engineers Without Borders–Colorado installed rainwater catchment systems, and now every house has a cistern with a capacity of 10,000 liters. Later, Engineers Without Borders returned and installed high-efficiency firewood stoves. These stoves improved the quality of life for our kids and staff by reducing smoke and increasing efficiency.

Engineers Without Borders from the Johnson Space Center–NASA in Houston, TX, also came and installed a water purification system. Today, we have unlimited access to clean drinking water. That system filters 20,000 liters per day.

One of Rwanda’s thousands of hills belongs to the Children’s Village Kigarama. Between 1.5 and 2 hectares are in vegetable production. The children themselves work the fields, learning to grow food. The food they grow is the food they eat. We also ensure they have time to play, study, and simply be children.

Of course, not everything is work. We still lack enough electricity, so in the evenings the children gather and sing — and they have been singing for many years. They have developed beautiful voices. Some are potential singers and artists. They have produced three CDs, with every song being their own original work. American astronaut Ronald Garan even took their CDs to the International Space Station and listened to their music with fellow astronauts. We hope people around the world will one day listen to and enjoy the music of these special children.

We also have a baby house. Can you imagine being the mother or father of 10 babies at the same time? We make sure the babies receive the best care. Let me tell you a story: during a storm with lightning, wind, and hail, tragedy struck nearby. A young mother carrying her baby was struck by lightning and died instantly, but her baby survived. Where is that baby now? With us. His name is Vincent. And we believe there is a reason why Vincent survived.

It is a precious gift to see babies grow stronger and healthier, to see little kids learning to walk and discovering life. Children in Africa often do not have a true childhood, as they must work hard from a young age. We teach our children the importance of hard work, but also ensure they have enough free time to simply be kids.

The quality of life for our children continues to improve. Outside the orphanage, life is very different. Most neighboring children eat only once a day. Many do not own shoes. Many cannot attend school. That’s why we decided to also support our neighbors. We run a tailoring school where people from the community learn tailoring. After two years, they graduate with a certificate, ready to start their own profession and earn a livelihood.

As you know, we are a children’s village. Traditionally, orphanages depend on charity from abroad. There is nothing wrong with generosity, but in the long term, dependency causes damage. People can become passive, lose decision-making capacity, and struggle to stand on their own feet. Our mission is to care for the children, but we also aim to reach self-sufficiency and economic independence.

To do this, we must develop our resources and income-generating projects. At the orphanage, we now have the largest fruit production in the country:

22,000 pineapple plants (40 harvested daily, soon 60)

1,800 mango trees (800 about to produce)

1,700 guava trees (90 produced 712 kilos recently)

700 avocado trees

What do we do with all this fruit? This is our first major income-generating project. We will process the fruit using green technology — solar energy, biogas, and eventually wind power. We will seek organic and fair-trade certification, pack our fruit, and export it. Imagine one day seeing a package in your grocery store with a smiling child from Rwanda, labeled organic, fair-trade certified, and produced in an orphanage with green technology.

Our second project is based on another resource: nature. Near Lake Kivu, on a 3-hectare plot, we plan to build an eco-lodge with the highest environmental standards. The Birambye Lodge — “Birambye” means sustainability in Kinyarwanda — will attract visitors with its beauty, sustainable design, outdoor activities, and excellent services. The profits will fund the children’s education, giving them opportunities to become doctors, engineers, lawyers, and more.

We appreciate all the help we receive, but we want to move away from dependency. True dignity comes when we can make our own decisions. If we make mistakes, that is part of growth. What Rwanda needs is not endless gifts, but support to develop infrastructure and businesses.

We are an orphanage in the middle of nowhere, trying to do what has never been done before. Soon, we will reach self-sufficiency and independence — and the children will be the true beneficiaries. It will not be outsiders changing Africa, but these very children, given the right opportunities, who will one day change their country.

We invite people from around the world to join us in this adventure. Help us build the Birambye Lodge. Support the orchard project. Come and discover your own talents while experiencing life in Rwanda.

We want to thank everyone who has supported us so far. Without you, none of this would be possible. Your willingness to get involved is inspiring, and it is a privilege to share this journey with you.

That is the beauty and goodness of life.