”I Broke Windows, Now I Build Peace: Mélanie’s Story.”

Mélanie NDAYISENGA is a courageous woman and a proud beneficiary of the ITOTO Project, implemented by RGW and supported by the Rubirizi incubator.

My story is one of pain, survival, and ultimately transformation.
For years, I lived with emotional wounds so deep that they began to define me. Grudges and unspoken hurts consumed my heart. I smiled on the outside and actively participated in church, always present at Holy Communion, yet inside, I was drowning in anger, bitterness, and sorrow.
One of my deepest scars came from my sister-in-law. We were once close, but betrayal tore us apart. What followed was not just a falling-out, but a hatred that festered for years. I couldn’t forgive her. In truth, I couldn’t forgive anyone who had ever hurt me. I kept my pain hidden, but it quietly ruled every part of my life.
Then came the turning point: the RGW program.
Through its powerful teachings, I began to understand the true meaning of forgiveness. Not just as a word or a religious duty but as a path to healing. I learned to release the anger I’d clung to for so long. I forgave my sister-in-law. I forgave others. And, most importantly, I forgave myself.
But my challenges didn’t end there. My marriage was filled with violence and chaos. When my husband hit me, I hit back with stones, with fury. I broke windows, destroyed valuable things: anything I could reach in moments of uncontrollable rage. Neighbors would gather to watch our fights as if they were entertainment. Our home was a battlefield, and our children were growing up in it.
I treated my children harshly, offering no grace, no patience. My anger didn’t discriminate. It affected everyone.
The RGW teachings changed all of that.
Today, I am a new woman.
I have found peace where there was once only pain. I feel dignified, not because someone gave me value, but because I reclaimed it. For the first time in my life, I know what it feels like to forgive truly and to be free.
This transformation didn’t happen by chance. It was because someone believed in the power of healing. It was because of RGW.
I share my story with the hope that others will also have the chance to be healed. I pray that this project expands, reaches more women, more families, more hearts that are still silently suffering.

RGW didn’t just change my life. It gave me back my life.
Now, I live not in anger, but in peace, and with that peace comes hope.