Former Rwandan Refugee Gives Back to his Former School in Kenya

The 1994 Rwandan genocide saw millions of people displaced from their homes and country. Rwandan nationals had to settle in other countries as refugees as their motherland was uninhabitable.

Octave Hirwa and his family found themselves in Kenya after they were forced to flee from their motherland.

Octave was only 8 years old when they moved to Kenya seeking refuge in a foreign land. However, through his parents’ determination, they settled in the country and began a new chapter of their life.

Shortly afterwards in 1997, Octave’s mom Alice died of cancer, a blow to Octave and his family forcing them to relocate yet again.

In 1998, Octave moved to Zambia where part of his extended family had sought refuge during the Rwandan genocide.

He later moved to Denmark with his aunt who adopted him and his siblings where he grew up, went to school and is currently working as a Product Manager in in the Open Banking Division of MasterCard.

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The Birth of Alice Hakizimana Foundation

Octave describes his late mom as a magnificent woman who was loved and adored by children especially those in their neighborhood.

In an interview with The Kenya Times, he explained that visiting his mom’s grave sparked a lot of feelings including the urge to keep her memory alive.

Phase 1 – Window Project

Furthermore, the idea to start a foundation in memory of his mother came when they visited his former primary school and saw the bad state of the structures there, which they promised to help fix.

“We also went to visit our school Kimalel and the headmistress showed us around and we could see that the school had become really worn out and the windows were shattered. That’s when we started thinking that we could help restore the school and do some good,” Octave recalled.

As such, they hatched the idea to restore the windows of the school as a memorial act of kindness in his mother’s name.

Octave said doing that would tell his mother’s story and immediately, the idea of Alice Hakizimana Foundation was born.

TKT: What is the aim of the foundation?

Octave: The foundation is meant to keep mom’s memory alive; she loved kids a lot and we want to keep that part of her name alive. We also want to do projects that are beneficial for the youth and children in Nairobi to see how far it goes.

TKT: When was the First Project Done?

Octave: We visited the school in January 2022 and came back in October with my sister, brother, our aunts and some cousins to have a memorial ceremony around my mom’s grave on what would have been her birthday on October 30, 2022.

Afterwards we went to the school and had a chat with the headmistress who told us that the most urgent thing was to fix all the windows before the cold season. So, we decided to have the windows fixed by May and managed to finish all the windows on all the buildings at the school by end of April, just before I left and came back to Denmark.

TKT: Is the Foundation Exclusively Family Project?

Octave: The window restoration project was done by my siblings, cousins, our Kenyan friend Brian and I. All of us went to Shadrack. But for the rest of the restoration, we are looking to get as much assistance as possible.

If there are any Shadrack alumni that are willing to come together and help get the school back in the shape it was originally in, then that would be good.

The fact that we want to do it in my mother’s name should not be a hindrance to anyone willing to contribute either directly or indirectly to the school.

However, I would like to get the school restored through the foundation.

TKT: Is the Foundation Officially Registered?

Octave: We are in the process of setting up the Alice Hakizimana Foundation in Nairobi. 

TKT: What is the Long-Term Plan for the Foundation?

Octave: The plan is to encompass all relevant areas that have parallels to mom’s life. So, it’s for children who were like her primary love and then for refugees from any country and for single mothers because she spent the last 2 1/2 years of her life as a single mom with three kids.

As such, it will include all the areas we feel are befitting to have activities that can improve as many lives as possible.

TKT: Have You Approached any Potential Partners to Assist in Your Projects?

Octave: We have not approached any yet. But we hope to get some positive feedback on the project, and hopefully some public or private organizations will join us for the rest of the restoration.

TKT: Do you Have a Timeline for the Foundation Registration and Commencement of the Projects?

Octave: We should have the registration process complete by early 2024. But in terms of further works of the school, we already had a couple of construction companies look at the work that needs to be done and they’ve divided into different phases.

So, depending on how soon we would be able to collect funds, then the timeline is within the next 12 months.

TKT: Describe your Journey from Displacement to Being a Catalyst for Social Change

Octave: It has been very eventful, very intense at times, very rewarding and very sad as well. Losing your parents at such an early age is difficult, you just feel the gravity of the situation when you are all grown and able to understand loss. But when I look at where I am now, I’m fortunate that I can give back to children whose position I have been in, and I have the chance to make their education and life slightly better.

Back to Kenya After 24 Years

24-years later, Octave is back to keep his mother’s memory alive through social transformation projects.

In his mother’s memory, Octave and his family have begun giving back to the society that at one point took them in.

Nonetheless, Octave Hirwa visited Kenya for the first time since 1998 in January 2022 honoring an invite by his friend.

While in Kenya Octave and his cousin visited his mother’s grave at the Lang’ata cemetery an experience he says was so intense.

It was also the first time since her burial in 1998 that he visited the gravesite.

Octave recalls taking a 10-day silent retreat re-playing events of the past in his mind, thinking of what his mom could have gone through during her last days on earth.

“That’s when I started thinking a lot about the past and how my mom’s last days were. She was in a foreign country as a refugee with her children, I could now understand what she went through.” He told The Kenya Times.

After the Cemetery visit, Octave went to visit Shadrack Kimalel Primary School in Ngumo where he got his early education.

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Mom’s Smile is My Biggest Asset

Despite being a refugee from Rwanda, losing parents at a very young age and having to relocate internationally severally, Octave still considers himself a lucky man.

He adds that his most valued asset is the memory of his mom’s biggest smile which drives his zeal to tell her story that was cut short by cancer.

“I’ve been so lucky to grow up in different cultures and meet so many different people from so many walks of life. What I carry with me as my most valued asset is my is my mom’s biggest smile.”