By Tomasz Zielenkiewicz
With a population of 14 million, Catholics remember Rwanda for an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to young girls in Kibeho starting in 1981. The Catholic Church officially recognised the apparitions, and pilgrims have been coming here from all over the world.
Nearby, there is a school and educational centre for the blind run by the Polish Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross, established in 2008.
In 2009, a primary school was launched, the first school for the blind in all of Rwanda. There is also a middle school and a secondary one with different educational modules.
This year, the centre is attended by 185 kids. The staff consists of two sisters from Poland, one from Kenya, three from Rwanda, and many lay staff.
Sister Pia explains that she had been toying with the thought of serving as a missionary for years.
“I told Jesus that if the need was there, I would go. There was an offer from the superiors, so I wanted to get to know this young Church, and I came here with full openness”, she points out.
The sisters at Kibeho want to instill in children the memory of Blessed Mother Rosa Czacka, founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross.
“We want to show them that they can be independent and that they can be those who show others that disability does not impede developing and succeeding. We want to give them hope through our actions,” adds Sister Pia.
However, many of the kids the Sisters care for have been written off by their own families. This is why they often reach the centre late, at the age of 12 or 13.
The students at the Sisters’ school do not laze about. They get up early, start their individual study at 6 am, go to school at 8 am and stay there until 5 pm. After school, they have sports activities and then their own study time again.
The group includes some top students. One of them is Jean de Dieu Niyonzima, who ranked fifth in the country in the state examinations at the end of junior high school. He told the local media he would like to study journalism and languages.
The nuns are very proud of the students’ accomplishments. “The children are extremely creative. They can compose a song for Teacher’s Day, for instance. They sing in several voices and at different keys, and we also have a school choir. They perform at every school celebration and conduct the singing at Sunday Mass,” says Sister Pia. Two teachers hold dance lessons attended by younger and older visually impaired kids.
The school is home to a group of children affected by albinism. They feel safe here, even though their lives can be tragic. “One day, a woman brought two albino children to school, saying that only the third one left at home was Rwandan,” says the sister. “That is why it is necessary to bestow special love on them,” she emphasises.
The sisters insist that Providence is watching over them. “God does indeed take great care of us, sending us donors; most of our activities are possible thanks to donations, mostly from Poland and organisations from other countries,” adds Sister Pia.
“Sometimes all it takes is for us to think of a new idea, and suddenly there are people who help us materialise it,” she points out.
Mother Rosa Czacka is a unique patron in the Sisters’ daily duties. “She accepted blindness as God’s will, so we do our best to offer the kids faith. This is easy insofar as Rwandan society is a society of believers in God.”
Gratitude and joy can be seen on the children’s faces. “They are brought to tears by even the smallest gifts they receive. When a birthday celebration is held, their joy is immense, and they are grateful that someone remembers such an occasion,” says Sister Pia.
Words like joy, gratitude, and willingness to learn are often heard here at Kibeho. The children regain their faith that they can achieve something in life. They are proud when they can show at home that they can read. They create hats and scarves during knitting workshops,” all of which is an excellent motivation for the sisters.
“The fact that we are here is God’s work; we feel it. There are few of us, and the centre is big, so we hope for new vocations,” indicates Sr Pia.
The arrival of the Polish Ambassador to Rwanda will be a significant support for the Sisters. Arrangements are being made to open the embassy. In February 2024, the centre hosted Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and his wife, Agata Kornhauser–Duda.
“Here, people enjoy the little that they have,” stresses Sr Pia. While this is only the first year of her ministry in the centre, she has already acquired the distinguishing mark of a smile from her wards. – Vatican News
