When she was 16, Ornella Mugisha became pregnant with twins. Her then-boyfriend however denied the pregnancy, leaving her heartbroken and disappointed, since she thought he would be her safe place.
For her, that was the saddest day of her life because after her boyfriend jumped ship, all she could hear was her mother’s caution that if anyone got pregnant, she would beat her and the baby to a pulp. Because of the fear she ran away from home before her parents realized that she was pregnant to go live with a friend of hers who was living by herself.
She soon realized that her friend was a sex worker and was not willing to share her hard-earned with her. Fearing that she would soon be lured into habits like prostitution to survive she decided to go back home and face her parents’ fury.
Ornella’s biggest relief was that her parents welcomed her back home and she did not care about their indifference and side comments which taunted her, making her depressed and lonely. Being in a safer environment allowed her to do casual work like washing clothes for people to get money as she prepared to have not one but two children.
Once she delivered her twins, fending for them became so expensive that casual jobs could hardly cater for her needs. This was until she was enrolled in USAID/Igire Wiyubake Activity that is implemented by YWCA Rwanda in Kicukiro District. The activity equipped her with various skills such as hairdressing and making liquid soap to sell and earn a living.
“I am currently financially empowered and I feel valuable. I urge young girls to be safe and not to fall victim to predators,” she cautions.
More so, the Safe Space in Igire Wiyubake equipped her with SRHR knowledge that she didn’t have and heal from her trauma.
Ornella at a safe space, where she says she received psychosocial support.
Because I was given the chance to sit with others and talk to them about what happened to me, I felt freed and healed from my trauma and we would converse. People would also share their stories which made me feel like I was not alone. Now I am living in a community and I am fine. My mission is to be ambitious, work hard, and progress in life. I’m working towards my goal to have my factory of soap manufacturing so I can supply to local shops,” she says of her ambition.
