Father Moves From Life of Fear to Life of Gratitude

By Sarah Stirman / Abilene Families Special Contributor

Thaddee (pronounced “Teddy”) Uwimana still carries scars from a world and a lifetime away. Some he carries on his body, some inside his mind, but all the scars are a permanent reminder of a life in Rwanda neither he nor his family will ever return to as refugees of that country.

In 1994, after years of living in fear and moving constantly to stay safe, Thaddee, with his wife, Pascasie, left Rwanda and arrived in a refugee camp. Thaddee very openly talks about the horrors of Rwanda but doesn’t even try to describe the refugee camp.

“It was horrible. It was unbelievable. No rights. No administration,” he says.

One beautiful bright spot did come into their lives at the refugee camp with the birth of their oldest child, a girl, Sylvie, now 14.

Thaddee and Pascasie both had family and good jobs in Rwanda, but when insurgency erupted in 1990, instability caused the Uwimanas to stay on the move, living in fear. Thaddee’s job with the International Red Cross afforded him a front-row seat to some of the horrors surrounding the massacres at the time.

With an easy, broad smile and gentle, quiet voice, Thaddee seems the least likely person to have experienced the massacres and terror of Rwanda in the early 1990’s, but he hasn’t forgotten.

 “There are some pictures in my mind I cannot forget,” he says. Even his body prevents him from completely forgetting. Trying to carry an injured man to safety, he was ordered to leave the man to die. Thaddee tried to be the voice of reason, but was shot for his efforts. He still carries bullet fragments as a lifelong reminder of the injustices of the time.

Thaddee still speaks passionately about the injustice of the uprising and atrocities that went along with it, yet he knows that he is only given the right to speak against it by being on American soil. “You cannot say ‘This is wrong’ or ‘This way is right’. Were I to live in Rwanda, I would be killed.”

Violence in Rwanda escalated to a critical level in 1994. From early April until mid-July – approximately 100 days – at least 500,000 Rwandans were killed, with many estimates as high as 800,000 to 1,000,000 people killed at that time. With violence escalating to such horrific levels the Uwimanas finally made the decision to flee to a refugee camp. 

They found life in the refugee camp “horrible” and “unimaginable”, but with no resources, had few other choices. After two years, the Uwimanas were able to make a life for themselves and settle in the Ivory Coast.
The country was stable politically and the family was happy to soon welcome another baby, Sylva, a boy, now 8. Peace was short-lived and war erupted in their town, literally overnight, in 2002.
“We could not even walk outside,” Thaddee remembers.

The French Army came to aid in evacuations. The Uwimanas were allowed to safely leave their home with their two children, but no possessions. Taken to another town in the Ivory Coast, Thaddee and Pascasie realized it was time to seek refuge in another country, possibly on another continent.

During Thaddee’s work as a physician in the Ivory Coast his employment had brought him in contact with the non-profit organization, International Rescue Committee (IRC). He even spent some time employed by the IRC, so he was familiar with their efforts to resettle refugees in safe places, most frequently in the United States.

The application process, like many that require international government communication, was long and arduous. Finally, after two years, with Pascasie quite far along in a third pregnancy, the family was given the green light to make the trip to Abilene, Texas.

IRC policy provides airfare for the fleeing family for a three year loan at zero interest. However, the airlines are not very happy with allowing an eight-month pregnant woman fly. Assuring the airlines that she was only six months pregnant instead of the eight that she actually was, with much talking, the Uwimanas were finally allowed their final flight to freedom and safety.

Thaddee is thankful for the Abilene community that welcomed them with their two small children five years ago, one short month before a third child was born. With no suspicion that anything was wrong, Sylvanius was born with Down’s Syndrome.

Sylvanius required surgery when he was just two months old at Cook Children’s Hospital. Thaddee still speaks with great emotion about a kind woman who showed up at their apartment at 5:00 one morning to drive the family to the hospital in Fort Worth and help them get settled there before driving alone back to Abilene that evening.

The quality of medical care combined with the kindness of virtual strangers overwhelms Thaddee as he imagines what little Sylvanius’ life may have been like had they remained in Africa.

“That’s powerful. It’s all a blessing,” he says with a characteristic broad smile.

Abilene is the only town in the United States the Uwimanas have lived in, but Thaddee says they are happy to stay here.

“People are very friendly here,” he said.

Thaddee speaks with pride of how his children have blossomed in the security of a stable and peaceful environment. With both school-age children thriving at school and Sylvanius a chattering and active youngster at almost 5 years old, Thaddee is grateful for the community that has created such success. They also have a wonderful church family who offer them much love and support.

“I want them to catch all the opportunities they have,” Thaddee said.  “There are too many opportunities here.”
He went on to detail things he appreciates: free education within walking distance, technology that is accessible for students to use, many things that will help his children succeed.

It is the root of American folklore, but Thaddee literally walked 10 miles to elementary school in Rwanda, where there is no such thing as “public education”.

“People in Africa don’t go to school because they don’t have the money,” he explains.

The list of things that Thaddee appreciates about his new homeland is long, but the biggest thing is the most basic thing. Thaddee is most thankful for a community that his children can grow up in where they don’t expect violence.

“You cannot imagine what it is like to live scared all the time,” Thaddee explained in a quiet voice. 
The values Thaddee passes to his children reflect a man who has seen a different life than most Americans.
He smiled as he said, “My perception of material things is not the same as other people’s.”
Thaddee’s father, who passed away in 1998, taught him a valuable lesson regarding money, investments, and relationships.

“My dad always told me, ‘You will have money that will come and go, but if friendship is the highest investment you make, you can never, never lose.’ We saw that time and again when we had to move and depend on friends,” Thaddee said.

The Uwimana family was certainly a rock solid investment for the IRC and the city of Abilene to make, with quality returns predicted for years to come.

Pascasie, a social worker in Rwanda, works both the night shift at the State School and as a teacher’s aide during the day. Besides encouraging their children to take advantage of every opportunity, Thaddee himself is in the process of using funding from the Abilene State School to attend nursing school with the agreement that he will return to work at the State School upon completion of his degree.

The name Uwimana means “Belongs to God” – a name fitting for this family who has known in all their journeys that they do, belong to God.