Life and Work with Anne Marie Mukankusi

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Rwanda and migrated to US as a refugee after surviving the Rwandan genocide against Tutsis in 1994. I came to the US with my older sister, who was widowed following the genocide, and her three children. Many of our family members were killed, including our parents, three brothers and our little sister. Like many survivors, the genocide left me with so many wounds.

For so many years, I couldn’t shake them off. I tried pushing them deep and filling my life with worldly pleasures. I worked hard and did what I was supposed to do to succeed. I went to college and graduated but I spent most of my 20s and 30s battling depression and feeling lost inside. Looking back, I could have benefited from post-trauma therapy.

Fast forward to 2015 — God kept pressing on my heart to write my story and share it. I was reluctant to share it. I couldn’t imagine exposing myself to the world and sharing my most intimate memories and thoughts with strangers. However, I believe the minute I obeyed the voice of God — that’s when I felt complete healing.

Publishing my story was hard and in the end, I ended up self-publishing on Amazon. My book, “Terrorized in Rwanda, Healed By Grace,” is my personal memoir, and tells the story of my childhood, the genocide and what happened after. Telling our stories is significant because it allows us to lift up other people who are walking through similar life circumstances. I pray that God will use my story to heal others.

Last year I founded Ineza Village Inc, a nonprofit organization that aims to help single mothers. Ineza is a word in Kinyarwanda, the mother language of Rwanda, meaning kindness and generosity. Generosity and kindness are themes that God has used throughout my life to show me His love and the foundation of how my parents raised me. I want to extend that same love to others. Ineza Village’s vision is to provide financial assistance to working single moms and refugee families and to build a pathway to economic empowerment for these precious families.

My dream is that Ineza Village would be my legacy.

Has it been a smooth road?
Oh my goodness, absolutely not. It is still hard — the only difference is that now I don’t rely on my emotions anymore to help me get through anymore. I seek guidance first from God, and then my family and friends.

The advice I would give to young women is this: You don’t have to make your own mistakes. Learn and take advice from the people who have gone before you.

You are strong and smarter than you think you are. Take time to listen to your soul — and learn to trust your intuition. Silence negativity. Celebrate every day and always keep searching for your purpose.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ineza Village – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I work with refugees who have resettled in the greater Atlanta area. I advocate and translate for them. There are so many refugees in Georgia, specifically in the Clarkson area. I work with refugees who speak Kinyarwanda and Kirundi (from Rwanda, Burundi and Congo (DRC). I have a Master’s degree in mental health counseling and my hope in the near future is to get my counseling license and be able to offer therapy services to single moms plus others services through Ineza Village. I am working hard to get Ineza Village off the ground — it’s not easy without funds but I am very hopeful that the funds will come! I am proud that I was able to set my dream into motion. I believe what sets me apart from other organizations is that I have lived the experience of the people I want to serve.

I have gone through the experience of seeking public assistance and left feeling worthless. I wished someone in those offices would have been compassionate, even if there were not able to help. I hope that when Ineza Village is up and running fully, people will not leave my place feeling what I felt from some of the places I sought help.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
There are so many women who inspire me, especially those ones who have sacrificed their lives for all of us to have voices today. The woman who inspires me the most is my sister, Christina. She came into this country with three young children and a teenager (me) after the genocide in Rwanda. Although she lost her husband and parents, she didn’t have time to mourn or feel sorry for herself. Her resilience and strength through traumatic loss is inspiring — she was just 28 years old when she moved here and had to raise four kids.

When we moved here, she had to go back to college and earned her degree while working a part-time minimum wage job. She worked tirelessly and then would come home to do homework at night. She took on tremendous responsibility and raised me, and instead of feeling sorry for herself — she raised us to be resilient, kind and grateful.

She is and will always be my hero.