Wings to Fly

The International Women’s Fund scholarship that I received from MW USA is a confirmation that I am exactly where God called me to be. It is confirmation that God prepared me, even though I started out out believing I wouldn’t be able to complete the elementary education level. My father was the first to advocate for equal access to education for girls and he did it through actionable deeds. All my older siblings were in school until he passed away. However, being the last born of seven children, and a girl, my destiny according to tradition was to stay home. 

“Poor widow, she wishes her last born was a boy,” people would murmur loud enough so I could hear. My mother, the original Mukarabe, a woman of quiet spirit with a heart of lioness determination, had other plans. Her strength and belief provided the anchor I needed to endure when I was ready to quit.  

Today, I am working on my third masters at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and I recently became an ordained minister in the Mosaic Mennonite Conference. I am cofounder/CEO of Amahoro International (AMI), a non-profit, faith-based organization, born out of my own pain which God turned into God’s purpose. AMI is a conference-related ministry of Mosaic and is the gift God is using to transform lives, ground-up, one individual, one family, one community, and one nation at a time. From a beginning in humanitarian interventionism, we pivoted into meeting economic, educational, and spiritual needs. 

Our constituency joined AMI wounded, both physically and spiritually. They were persecuted because of their God-given identity, but now they are finding healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation together with their persecutors. AMI helps them understand that with God, Hutus and Tutsis are brethren in Christ; that they were both victimized by a system they can help change if they embrace their values of unity, amahoro, ubuntu, and loving their neighbor (and their enemy) as they love themselves. The journey has been long and bumpy, but with faith, sacrifice, purpose, and vision, all things are possible. 

“Not by my might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6).

My father’s vision was to build institutions to give access to education for the marginalized. My mother caught the vision and sacrificed all so I could achieve the highest level of education possible. She always used Micah 6:8 on me in the context I could understand. She demonstrated what love looks like by tithing and by assigning a piece of land and a cow for neighbors who had limited means. She taught me to fight for justice and dignity for other orphans. 

By receiving this scholarship, I am being given wings to fly to places some of you may never visit—although I pray that some of you may one day travel with me to see in person the impact your trust in me is building. I will use the knowledge and wisdom I am gleaning to serve the church and communities as the Lord wills. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for seeing, by faith, the fruit coming from your co-laboring with our God to further God’s kingdom near and far.

Mukurabe Makinto-Inandava

CEO and Co-Founder

Amahoro International

Master's in Conflict Transformation Student

Eastern Mennonite University

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding

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