In the quiet hills of Nyamagabe District, in Rwanda’s Southern Province, there’s a woman whose heart is larger than most could imagine. Her name is Seraphine Nyirabarinda, and though she gave birth to four children, she is known as “Mama” to twenty-two.
As Rwanda recently celebrated the International Day of Rural Women, many gathered to honor the progress and resilience of women across the country. Among them stood Seraphine, not as a politician or public figure, but as a living symbol of what selfless love looks like.
Her story began with a single child a baby she found alone on the street, parents unknown, no one to care for him. “He was just a little baby,” she recalls. “My heart couldn’t let me walk away. I took him in, and that’s where it all started.”
That baby became the first of 22 children Seraphine has welcomed into her home over the years. Many of them were living on the streets, abandoned, or simply born into circumstances too difficult for their families to manage. She found some wandering in Gasarenda, a nearby trading center, searching for food or a place to sleep. But at Seraphine’s house, they found something much more a home.
“Now they all live with me,” she says. “I pay their school fees, I cook for them, I love them like my own. Some of them are even married now a son and a daughter.” What’s remarkable is that Seraphine has done all of this with no formal support system. She’s not backed by an NGO or government program. She’s a farmer. Her hands work the soil to grow potatoes, beans, and tea enough to feed her large family and keep them in school.
“I don’t have much,” she says simply, “but it’s enough. They eat, they learn, and they know they are loved. That’s what matters.” Her four biological children have never complained. In fact, they embraced their new siblings with open arms, creating a household filled with peace and unity, despite the challenges.
But not everyone is doing their part, Seraphine says. She speaks with sorrow about parents who neglect or abandon their children, pushing them into a life of hardship. “It breaks my heart to see a child hungry, sleeping on the street, when their parents are still alive. Please, let’s only bring children into this world if we’re ready to raise them.”
Her impact reaches far beyond her home. Athanase Mpore, one of the children Seraphine rescued, says he wouldn’t be the man he is today without her.
“I dropped out of school because I didn’t have supplies,” he recalls. “That’s when I ended up on the street. But Seraphine took me in, paid for my education until I finished high school. She even organized my wedding! Today, I work for a government agency, and I’m a husband. She gave me my life.”
Agnès Uwamariya, the Vice Mayor for Social Affairs in Nyamagabe District, publicly praised Seraphine’s dedication. “She is a true role model,” Uwamariya said. “What she’s doing aligns perfectly with our national vision—to protect and raise every child in a family environment.”
While Nyamagabe District currently reports no children sleeping rough on the streets, there are still cases of kids lingering too long in local centers after school. Authorities are urging parents to take their responsibilities seriously and ensure that every child is nurtured, educated, and loved.
This year alone, through campaigns encouraging school return, over 16,000 primary schoolchildren and 400 secondary students in the Southern Province have been re-enrolled after dropping out.
Story by Venuste Habineza