Giselle’s beaming with joy because you’ve helped provide her with hope and an education after her violent rape

New Hope

You’ve helped provide new life for a young girl who was ravaged and abandoned.

Dear Family,

Beautiful Giselle is a 17-year-old girl in Rwanda whose smile reflects newfound hope.

When Giselle’s school was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her days became long and she often sat idle with little to fill her time. It never occurred to her that visiting a trusted man in her village would be dangerous. Giselle went to see him one afternoon, and they had a great time chatting and catching up.

As the sun began to set, Giselle prepared to leave and—to her horror—she found that her “friend” had locked every possible exit. As she moved toward the door, he physically blocked her from leaving his house. Panicked, she fought hard to get away, but her strength snapped like a twig underfoot. The seconds crawled past, stripping her of innocence and clothing her with shame and despair. This cruel act of violence resulted in a pregnancy that changed her world.

Overcome with terror and grief, Giselle was eventually expelled from school because of the child growing in her womb. Her own mother disowned her and she has endured the rejection and ridicule of her peers.

Over seven months into her pregnancy, you’ve helped give new hope to Giselle through Heaven’s Family’s Victims of Sexual Violence Ministry. You can see renewed life and joy in her eyes. She is enrolled in both classroom and online courses, and her life now includes what she thought was gone forever: the opportunity to learn. God and His people have come through once again! Thank you for standing with Giselle!

Burt and Patty Forney
Directors, Victims of Sexual Violence Ministry