My lesson to all is that no matter what horrible circumstance we may face in our lives, we must never lose hope, for losing hope is the beginning of … - Consolee Nishimwe

Losing hope is the beginning of your own self-defeat.

There’s a mantra that I live with. No matter what horrible circumstances you may face in your life, never lose hope.

“I wanted to be in a place where I can start a new life, I needed to start a new life in a place where I’ve never experienced what I’ve experienced. At that time, it was for me to start a new life, through a journey of healing. Leaving Rwanda was easy for me because of the trauma experiences I have had. So I felt like I needed to be in a different place. It happened to be that I came to America because my cousin was here.

Genocide doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. There are so many stages.

What happened in one day can happen anywhere, and people should be aware of [this], because it’s not something that happens overnight.