If you’re looking to feel utterly inspired by a woman’s story of survival, this video posted by Goalcast shares Immaculée Ilibagiza’s account of surviving the 1994 Rwandan genocide by fleeing her home and seeking refuge in the home of a minister.
With the threat of death hanging over her, it was Immaculée’s father who told her to escape to the minister’s house, which was about 3 miles away from where they lived. Only, it turned out that the man was a part of the Hutu tribe, which was the majority tribe responsible for killing the Tutsi people in the region.
When Immaculée arrived at his home, she was shaking in fear, and he very quickly led her to a tiny bathroom that was just 3 by 4 feet. He soon brought in several other women to keep hidden in the bathroom. The space was so compact that the seven women had to take turns standing and stretching.
It had been a few days since they had been hidden in the bathroom when all of a sudden the house was swarmed with people who were hunting them.
Immaculée remembers looking out the small bathroom window at what looked like 100 people surrounding the house in the circle, so no one could get past them.
She recalls seeing old friends and people she had grown up with waiting outside the house to kill them, including a man she had gone to primary school with who claimed that he wanted Immaculée to be his 400th kill.
To hear how Immaculée made it through such a harrowing reality and had to hide in that bathroom for 91 days, watch the full video shared by Goalcast.
