Marie Claire's Homecoming
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It has been 25 years since Marie Claire has seen her family, in 1994 Rwanda experienced a Genocide that displaced her family, moving from five different countries and two continents. She has had to find a way to heal from the trauma of the past, to find community and a sense of familiarity in a new place. This December 8 through 28, she will be embarking on a journey of healing and reconciliation with her daughter Bahati, visiting family in Rwanda and Cameroon. Marie Claire is sharing her story and seeking your help in raising $5,000 to go back to Rwanda, a country she had to leave abruptly the summer of 1994. Leaving everything she knew and loved.
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Marie Claire Rwambaranzobe is an immigrant devoted to her faith, love for her family, and building meaningful friendships. She moved to the United States September 28, 2005 with her family of seven in pursuit of stability, a community to call home and a successful future for her children. Since 2005, Marie Claire and her husband Celestin have been able to make Glen Ellyn a home for themselves and their children.
Marie Claire’s journey begins in Rwanda. Born in 1969 as the oldest of nine children to an OBGYN and Midwife. She learned at a young age that faith in God and care for others are two paramount values that would carry her through the challenges and victories of life.
When they started their family in 1992, Marie Claire and Celestin began building a foundation for what would be their healthy and happy future in Rwanda, a land they have always called home. Celestin was an entrepreneur since the age of 14, leaving home because he imagined more for himself than what the remote village he lived in could offer him. Celestin married her, and they had their first child Denise. By this time, he was 32 and a successful businessman. 11 months later, 1993, Denis was born. Proud of all that they had accomplished, she had dreams to have as large a family of her own and raising them around an equally large community of Aunties and Uncles. Little did she know, life had a different plan for her.
In April of 1994, Marie Claire was seven months pregnant with her third child, Prisca, this year was unlike any other. A country she had called home suddenly became foreign as she saw the life she’d planned for herself and family slip away. “Rwanda was a land of peace and love,” she remembers. The people of the land were proud of what they had and loved it passionately. In the span of three months more than eight hundred thousand people of her beloved homeland were killed in this monstrous war. Similar to her family’s struggles to cope with the nightmare that was reality, people fled to neighboring countries, while others witnessed the horror right in front of them, loved ones were displaced and left behind. Families and communities were literally torn apart in the mass massacre that ensued between April and July. As a result, children were orphaned, parents had nothing and the country struggles to feel safe again. Marie Claire witnessed the severe nature of a people gripped by fear.
Thus, began her journey away from familiarity to the unknown. She left a country she loved and reluctantly left her family and friends with no knowledge of when she would see them next. She left culture, community, and a dream to have her children raised alongside her large family. The future was unknown, her only goal to save her children.
Uncertainty was comforted by her strong faith in God and the loss of loved ones was comforted by her children and husband’s safety. Marie Claire had to leave her family, home and dreams in Rwanda, a sacrifice she does not dwindle on often, “it felt like life was happening. To me there is no use in wishing, I focus on my prayer and I have faith that even when everything is not as it should be, I have trust in God.”
Since 1994, Marie Claire and her family moved around for a majority of their life under different circumstances – the Rwandan Genocide, Congolese instability, Tanzanian civil war, the pursuit of opportunity in Zambia, and finally the pursuit of education in the USA- she is no stranger to new and different settings. At the age of 25 she had to escape unthinkable circumstances, to ensure the safety and survival of her 2-year-old, 1-year-old and a 3-week-old. Marie Claire continued to believe in her faith, love for her family and the empathy that was extended to her from strangers along the way. In 1996, she had her fourth child Bahati, in Tanzania and Noella in the year 2000 in Zambia. Through the years Marie Claire and Celestin worked hard and started over constantly. Finding work, building businesses, and lending a hand to those who needed assistance.
In 2005, Marie Claire and Celestin were granted the opportunity to move to the United States through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. The family of seven relocated to Glen Ellyn, IL, where they currently live. Their dreams have manifested in an unlikely way. April of 2019 marks 25 years since the genocide. Over the last several years, the whole family has had to reconcile with their history and the future. This story is a source of grit and courage for her children and a reassurance for their faith in God and trust in love.
Now 25 years later Marie Claire and her daughter Bahati will be embarking on a journey back to Rwanda. She will be visiting her family, parent’s burials, childhood home, and catching up on 25 years of thanksgivings, Christmas’, childbirths and much more that has been missed and celebrated. She is determined to not let any more time pass.
How can you, the community help? Marie Claire is currently trying to raise funds to help support travel accommodations such as excursions, living expenses, food, visas, passport documents, vaccinations and flight tickets to Rwanda and Cameroon. Please contact us with any questions. I am Marie Claire's daughter and will be accompanying her on the trip. I will be withdrawing the funds to myself and then transferring them directly to Marie Claire who will be using them for the purpose of this trip. Thank you for your contribution.
Share Marie Claire's story!

I wrote this story to communicate the gravity of this visit and how important it is to my mom and myself. The focus of this homecoming is truly about healing and reconciliation after witnessing a genocide and being forced to leave your home and start over a number of times. It's a story of perseverance and faith in spite of misfortune and uncontrollable/unimaginable circumstance. ~Bahati Aimee
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Marie Claire Rwambaranzobe is an immigrant devoted to her faith, love for her family, and building meaningful friendships. She moved to the United States September 28, 2005 with her family of seven in pursuit of stability, a community to call home and a successful future for her children. Since 2005, Marie Claire and her husband Celestin have been able to make Glen Ellyn a home for themselves and their children.
Marie Claire’s journey begins in Rwanda. Born in 1969 as the oldest of nine children to an OBGYN and Midwife. She learned at a young age that faith in God and care for others are two paramount values that would carry her through the challenges and victories of life.
When they started their family in 1992, Marie Claire and Celestin began building a foundation for what would be their healthy and happy future in Rwanda, a land they have always called home. Celestin was an entrepreneur since the age of 14, leaving home because he imagined more for himself than what the remote village he lived in could offer him. Celestin married her, and they had their first child Denise. By this time, he was 32 and a successful businessman. 11 months later, 1993, Denis was born. Proud of all that they had accomplished, she had dreams to have as large a family of her own and raising them around an equally large community of Aunties and Uncles. Little did she know, life had a different plan for her.
In April of 1994, Marie Claire was seven months pregnant with her third child, Prisca, this year was unlike any other. A country she had called home suddenly became foreign as she saw the life she’d planned for herself and family slip away. “Rwanda was a land of peace and love,” she remembers. The people of the land were proud of what they had and loved it passionately. In the span of three months more than eight hundred thousand people of her beloved homeland were killed in this monstrous war. Similar to her family’s struggles to cope with the nightmare that was reality, people fled to neighboring countries, while others witnessed the horror right in front of them, loved ones were displaced and left behind. Families and communities were literally torn apart in the mass massacre that ensued between April and July. As a result, children were orphaned, parents had nothing and the country struggles to feel safe again. Marie Claire witnessed the severe nature of a people gripped by fear.
Thus, began her journey away from familiarity to the unknown. She left a country she loved and reluctantly left her family and friends with no knowledge of when she would see them next. She left culture, community, and a dream to have her children raised alongside her large family. The future was unknown, her only goal to save her children.
Uncertainty was comforted by her strong faith in God and the loss of loved ones was comforted by her children and husband’s safety. Marie Claire had to leave her family, home and dreams in Rwanda, a sacrifice she does not dwindle on often, “it felt like life was happening. To me there is no use in wishing, I focus on my prayer and I have faith that even when everything is not as it should be, I have trust in God.”
Since 1994, Marie Claire and her family moved around for a majority of their life under different circumstances – the Rwandan Genocide, Congolese instability, Tanzanian civil war, the pursuit of opportunity in Zambia, and finally the pursuit of education in the USA- she is no stranger to new and different settings. At the age of 25 she had to escape unthinkable circumstances, to ensure the safety and survival of her 2-year-old, 1-year-old and a 3-week-old. Marie Claire continued to believe in her faith, love for her family and the empathy that was extended to her from strangers along the way. In 1996, she had her fourth child Bahati, in Tanzania and Noella in the year 2000 in Zambia. Through the years Marie Claire and Celestin worked hard and started over constantly. Finding work, building businesses, and lending a hand to those who needed assistance.
In 2005, Marie Claire and Celestin were granted the opportunity to move to the United States through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. The family of seven relocated to Glen Ellyn, IL, where they currently live. Their dreams have manifested in an unlikely way. April of 2019 marks 25 years since the genocide. Over the last several years, the whole family has had to reconcile with their history and the future. This story is a source of grit and courage for her children and a reassurance for their faith in God and trust in love.
Now 25 years later Marie Claire and her daughter Bahati will be embarking on a journey back to Rwanda. She will be visiting her family, parent’s burials, childhood home, and catching up on 25 years of thanksgivings, Christmas’, childbirths and much more that has been missed and celebrated. She is determined to not let any more time pass.
How can you, the community help? Marie Claire is currently trying to raise funds to help support travel accommodations such as excursions, living expenses, food, visas, passport documents, vaccinations and flight tickets to Rwanda and Cameroon. Please contact us with any questions. I am Marie Claire's daughter and will be accompanying her on the trip. I will be withdrawing the funds to myself and then transferring them directly to Marie Claire who will be using them for the purpose of this trip. Thank you for your contribution.
Share Marie Claire's story!
I wrote this story to communicate the gravity of this visit and how important it is to my mom and myself. The focus of this homecoming is truly about healing and reconciliation after witnessing a genocide and being forced to leave your home and start over a number of times. It's a story of perseverance and faith in spite of misfortune and uncontrollable/unimaginable circumstance. ~Bahati Aimee
Organizer
Marie Bahati
Organizer
Glen Ellyn, IL
