“When I was born, my extended family and relatives thought I was a curse. They tried to convince my mother to stop breastfeeding me so that I would starve and die of hunger. They said that nothing like this had ever happened in their clan before and that as soon as I was born even their livestock started dying. ” – Grace.
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Grace was born without three of her limbs and many in her community saw her disabilities as a taboo, called her a freak and even went as far as threatening her life. Grace’s own uncle threatened to murder her father if Grace and her curse were not taken out from this world. But her parents risked everything to keep her safe. Because her dad refused to give into his family’s demands, Grace’s father was murdered in an ‘armed robbery attack’.
“When I saw my baby after I gave birth to her, I just thanked God. I wasn’t shocked even though I had never seen a disabled person before. I loved what came out of my womb, that which was created within me,” – Beransiira, Grace’s Mother.
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Beransiira had no time to mourn for her husband afmter his death. In order to protect her daughter’s life, she knew she would have to flee her home immediately. With Grace and her four brother and sisters, Beransiira fled from their community in Rwanda across the border to Uganda where they came across a kind-hearted Aunt Betty who made Grace feel less like a curse and more like a person with God-given purpose.
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Grace found hope and wants to help others who are like her too. “I trust that my testimony has a purpose and a big one at that. To encourage other people like me, termed as disabled & cursed, to know they have a purpose, that God loves them and they can make it in life.” – Grace.
Grace is now 19 years old and today, she is thriving & living her life without limits!!
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