STORY OF MY BACKGROUND
I am Burundian, was born on November 11, 1963 in a Christian family. In my family,
we are twelve children, nine boys and three girls. I am the only one who has a body defect, i.e.,
when I was young, I caught poliomyelitis, reason why I limp.
I grew up normally with that defect of course.
At the age of seven, I started primary school at a distance of 7 kilometres from my house.
Daily I had to walk seven kms in the morning and seven kms in the evening, i.e., 14 kms per day.
In my whole family, everybody got a chance to attend school but unfortunately in the year 1972,
there was a genocide against my tribe which left literally all the Literate,
and rich "Hutu (my tribe)" dead.
That is why you hear that we have a ministry among the refugee camps in Tanzania.
Three of those refugee camps were set up as far as 1972 and they count more than 300,000 people.
Though no one died in my family apart from some from any extended family,
the pogrom left some wounds which are difficult to heal.
For instance my wife lost her father at that time and this left an unhealed wound.
My two elder brothers were forced to leave school and they are peasants now without education.
All the wealth my dad had was looted and he became very poor
and that was the reason why he was not able to educate my two elder brothers.
As I was nine years old and in standard 2, I literally saw how all the teachers,
business people, pastors, evangelists, students from my tribe were butchered, killed.
Many people from my tribe opted not to send their children to school any more
for they said educated and literate "Hutu" people were the target of the pogrom.
I continued primary school but when I was in standard 6, we had to seat for National exam
which was to select those that would continue secondary school.
Because of the system that hindered Hutus from advancing,
I was to redo the year four times until I succeeded. I continued my studies until from 4,
after which we were to be oriented where to continue our career.
Fortunately I was oriented where I could pursue my studies up to university.
At the gate of university, due to the unjust system which was against my tribe,
I was sent to an institute where I only was to do two years
which due to the same injustice I did in three years instead of being sent in institutions
where I could finish and graduate with a BA in any subject.
Spiritually, I was a member of the University Choir and we would present every Sunday in the mass.
I even led a group of student fellowship at University.
God's anointing and choice have always been on my life!
When I graduated in the year 1991, I was sent to teach in a management school
where I taught business English.
I taught for two good years and I helped many young students to come to Christ
as I was teaching in a boarding school.
While I was teaching at that institute a minister of God of African Revival Ministry (ARM)
saw on me some talents and he developed them by giving me some work of translating
English Christian literature into my mother tongue "Kirundi".
I translated many books into Kirundi but unfortunately due to the war that broke in the year 1993,
all that work was destroyed.
In the year 1993, I met my wife Rwandiye Anathalie and we got married on 21st of August 1993.
Unfortunately, two months later, the war broke out and took away her only brother she had,
which deepened the wound she had.
Frederic HARERIMANA in Burundi
