“Living and working with children, defending their rights, as I’ve always done, is something that builds unique strength. In times of war and unhappiness, it’s always children who get me through the day. You see such hope in their eyes. Children are the architects of hope.” Marguerite Barankitse
The Children’s Nobel Laureate and the recipient of the Legion of Honour in France, Marguerite Barankitse has earned praise for her efforts to protect children during the Burundi genocides from the Council of Europe, the Guardian newspaper and even the former Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan.
An unlikely rise to fame:
A Burundi native, Maguerite Barankitse came face to face with discrimination between Hutus and Tutsis at a very young age. After witnessing her Tutsi father’s murder when she was just six years old, Maggy, as she is affectionately called, joined the fight for tolerance. War broke out in 1993 resulting in large numbers of orphaned children. Without regard for race or ethnicity, Maggy took in all Hutu and Tutsi children fleeing the war.
With all the courage and determination she could muster, Maggy hid the children and protected them from the outbreak of genocide, moving every few days to avoid capture. On her way, Maggy took in more and more children, and subsequently took it upon herself to create Shalom House in 1993; the aim was to offer the children shelter and an education. All in all, around ten thousand children benefited from Maggy’s help during the civil war.
Fighting on:
Maggy is still conscious of the extreme poverty and racial hatred tearing Burundi apart. As a result, she is building “Houses of Angels” all around the country; these homes will provide shelter to unemployed youth and street children looking for a safe route to an independent life.
In 20 years, her association has provided aid to more than 30,000 impoverished children, orphans and HIV-positive youngsters. Beyond the crises and emergencies which unavoidably result, the association’s approach is to promote sustainable human development focused on the needs of the community as a whole.
