Mpatswe, Francis

Born: February 5th 1990
Country: DR Congo
Family: mother, father deceased, 3 brothers (1 brother deceased), 3 sisters
Grade: ?, completed primary level, needs educational assistance
Goals: To become a doctor so he can "assist my fellow Africans who are suffering"

Edited email(s):

My name is Francis Mpatswe, I am a 17 year old male Congolese born February 5th 1990 in a small village known as Kabonero in Jomba sub-county, Rutshuru district of north eastern Kivu. I grew up in a family of eight, six children. I was the fourth among these six children, three were boys (James, Mpoltiswe Francis, and Semasaka Jorvas), and three were girls (Jean, Oeace, and Naomi).

We grew up in harsh conditions because my parents were poor. My parents were not educated and so their work was farming (digging). They could only dig on a small scale, the land was not fertile and produced little to feed us and support my older brother, James, who in school. James grade level was senior one at the time. We would eat as little as possible so James could pay his school fees. Because our neighbor’s children were not able to attend school they were jealous that James was in school. Our neighbors made a plan to kill my brother and us. One day, it was a Friday, the neighbors hid where my brother would pass when coming back from school. When James passed they speared him in one leg. They wanted to kill him but he did not die. The neighbors were caught and imprisoned. We took James to the hospital where the doctor cut off his leg. The doctor charged so much we were forced to sell the land which we were cultivating to pay the doctor bill.

After selling our land we remained in poverty and James left the school. Food and other basics were not easy to get. My father became sick while working for money; he suffered almost four months, and was eventually cured by local herbs. We lived in poverty for almost 3 years.

In 1996 war broke out where we lived. During the war many of my relatives were killed, others ran to the forest to try to hide and were eaten by wild animals.

Worst of all, my father was captured with about 100 men and women. They were tied by chains from the right leg of one to the left leg of other to prevent them from escaping. They were killed with daggers. After the death of my father we ran to the forest, we spent four days there without eating. On Friday, 26th June 1996, we tried to go home to look for food. On the way to our home we met many soldiers who were killing. We run again in different directions, my older brother, James, could not run because he had one leg, and was killed by dagger. My Mother and my young sister and young brother ran back to the forest. My older sister and I ran north but we met another group of soldiers. We were captured and treated like goats. I decided to run, they did not shoot me because I was young and they wanted those who were energetic. Others were taken to a certain school and killed there with machetes. My sister survived because she was taken by one soldier to be his girl lover.

After escaping I came into contact with a very big snake and was afraid the snake would kill me. I continued to run and reached a building, the Church of Pentecost. I went to hide in the church but found it was full of dead bodies. There I found my father and all my relatives dead. I was very fearful and could do nothing like burying them because I was so young and scared. I returned to the road, went for short distance and saw a young girl in front of me looking at me. Without knowing she was dead I tried to call to her. When I reached her I realized she was my younger sister who failed to run when she was with my Mother. Her death surprised me because they pieced her with a tree from the reproductive part up to the head. I continued on and eventually met my older sister who had been taken by a soldier, after he made her pregnant he left her. I told her all the things that I had seen and she was afraid. She told me the ways they made her pregnant and I thought they treated us are if we were not human beings. We traveled into the forest where we met with my Mother and my younger brother. There my sister produced the twins and there we suffered from hunger.

There the twins were attacked by marasmas and they died. My sister was unhappy because of the death of her children and because of that she went to look for the soldier who made her pregnant - we do not know where she is.

Again, we all got scattered and I got lost from my Mother. I walked through the forest from Zaire (DRC) until I found myself in Kisoro District of Uganda. Fortunately, my Mother and my younger brother also escaped and went to the Nyakabande Camp in Kisoro, Uganda where I found her. There we suffered, due to the starvation we decided to return to our home. When we reached our home we found our properties had been ruined and the fighting was still going on so we went back to Kisoro.

In 1998, UNHCR took us to Kyangwali Settlement in Uganda where we are living now. On arriving to Kyangwali we were welcomed and given machetes, hoes and bushy land to dig (farm). We could not manage to slash and dig the land. We depended on the little food given to us as orphans. Each of us daily often eat four spoons of beans and peas, maize bread, and a mug of swampy water – extra food is sometimes given to us.

To join the school in Kyangwali was not easy as I had no one to support me but I tried to earn what was needed to go to school. I had a shirt and shorts which I could wear during classes and I could wash them at night. I had many problems but I tried and I completed primary level of education with the help of Universal Primary Education. (CUPE).

Before completing primary I knew that I would get a scholarship because there was an organization called High Pilkington Charitable Trust which would give a scholarship for secondary school to a pupil who had performed highly in primary seven exams. I had emerged as one of the best students at primary level and was hopeful to receive a scholarship. Unfortunately, in 2005 the scholarships were terminated due to a shortage of money. The church contributed to my school fees and I completed secondary school at the end of 2006. The church then concluded that I would have to find the money to continue my education. I was unable to continue to senior two because of luck of school fees.

I would like to receive an education scholarship because I want to achieve my goal of becoming a doctor. My best subjects are biology, chemistry and agriculture. If I manage to achieve my goal to become a doctor through your support I will assist my fellow Africans who are suffering the way my family has suffered. I call upon anyone who wishes to help me with a scholarship.

My hobbies are singing, debating, and playing foot ball.

While waiting for a favorable answer, I remain yours faithfully.

Francis Mpatswe