If home is where the heart is then three young people — who are far, far away from their birthplace — are very much at home in Hudson.
But it’s not the vast distance that Pacifique Niyonzima, Hyacinthe Mutuyubutatu and Jeanne D’arc Ilizera traveled in August to be in time for the start of school that’s so noteworthy.
Rather, it’s where they’ve come from, what they’ve been through; and, dear God, what they’ve seen.
They were orphaned as babies and toddlers in 1994 during the ungraspable slaughter in Rwanda, the small East African nation where a civil war claimed between 500,000 and 1 million people during a 100-day genocide.
I’m not talking about mass shootings, which would have been horrific enough, but also machete, off-with-their-heads-type killings.
Like thousands of other children whose entire families were annihilated in the carnage, many times right in front of them, Pacifique, Hyacinthe and Jeanne D’arc grew up in orphanages, if they were lucky. Impoverished orphanages that got intermittent electricity.
They were in the same orphanage with 35 other children, but Pacifique, the lone young man here, was in a separate boarding school.
Thanks to caring souls such as those involved in the Orphan’s Prayer, a nonprofit orphan support agency based in Hudson and headed by Lauren and Mark Loboda, this threesome parachuted into the lives and hearts of Mike and Mary Lynn Silvestro and Mike and Jill Burke, all of Hudson.
With four suitcases among them, they embarked on a long journey: an hour bus trip from Kigali, Rwanda, to Uganda and Ethiopia, where they took a plane to Dubai, then on to Washington and finally Cleveland, with lots of layovers in between.
Translation: They departed Rwanda at 6 a.m. on a Tuesday and landed in Cleveland at 4:45 p.m. the following Thursday.
Giggles and laughter intersect conversations about the that trip to a whole new world.
“It was the first time we saw an escalator,” Hyacinthe recalled. It was at the Uganda airport.
“They were so afraid,” interjected a courageous and articulate Pacifique, who fancies himself as the big brother of the two. “They followed me.”
Happily, the lives of the Silvestros and the Burkes as well as their new foster family members have been greatly enriched. And those in the Greater Hudson community, specifically St. Mary’s Catholic Church, where the families are members, and the schools where the trio are enrolled, have embraced them as well.
But make no mistake about it. Getting the trio here wasn’t as easy as just booking a flight.
The coming to America of Pacifique and Hyacinthe, both 20, and Jeanne D’arc, 18, was two years in the making. There was lots of talking and paperwork like you wouldn’t believe, the Silvestros and the Burkes quickly attest. And calling schools, trying to persuade them to get on board with the program, required a lot of homework. Not all saw the light, but two — Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls and Our Lady of the Elms High School in Akron — did. “They felt it was aligned with their mission,” Jill Burke said.
Priest offers help
Key in all of this was the Rev. Jean Bosco, a Rwandan Comboni missionary priest, who identified the three, whom he termed to be responsible and academically hungry, fluent in math and, if presented the opportunity, destined to be successful, , the Silvestros and the Burkes said.
Facilitating a good education would be a major part of the plan, yes.
But providing them with a home and a real sense of a family, something they’ve never had, was and is the real centerpiece.
Pacifique, who is being parented by the Burkes, is a junior at Walsh. The young women, whose foster parents are the Silvestros, attend the Elms High School, where Hyacinthe is a junior and Jeanne D’arc is a sophomore.
The three are in the United States on student visas that can be extended if they decide to stay to pursue college studies.
“Father Jean Bosco, who the children call Father Uncle Jean, who lost family [in the civil war], thinks like a parent,” Mary Lynn Silvestro said. “And he has said, ‘I will not tell them they have to go home. But go somewhere and serve.’ ”
They’re already giving serious thought where they might fit in as citizens of the world.
“I want to be a psychologist,” Pacifique said.
“I would like to be a medical nurse,” Jeanne D’arc answered.
Hyacinthe’s dream is to become a doctor.
The Burkes and the Silvestros, who describe their foster children as peaceful and quiet, say they will not encourage them to stay or push them out the door when the time comes. “We’re going to let things unfold naturally,” Mary Lynn Silvestro said. “We’re going to treat them like our own kids.”
“He is our son!” Jill Burke added, taking parental ownership of the situation.
“We encounter so much innocence and just so much goodness in them every day,” Mary Lynn Silvestro marveled. “Just so much perseverance and hope!”
To make sure the three have all of the tools to succeed, the two families have English-as-a-second-language tutors for their foster children who, in addition to their native language, speak French.
“Friends from the parish have been a tremendous support,” Jill Burke said. “Someone [from the church] is here in the evenings helping with homework and tutoring.”
Gracious schools
Both schools have been warm and gracious, the families said. Two sisters pick the girls up every morning to take them to school. Mike and Mary Lynn Silvestro spoke of the comfortable rhythm.
Jill and Mike Burke were equally effusive with praise for Walsh, which they say is doing everything to make Pacifique feel welcome. “The teachers have been very willing to work side by side with Pacifique,” Jill Burke said. “Students were doing reports on Beowulf. But they felt that was too much for him; so, he’s reporting on Gandhi.”
The community has been equally welcoming with gifts of clothing for the three.
Even though they are proving to be quick studies, there are still major language nuances to navigate.
Mike Burke shared a very recent one about Pacifique being invited to homecoming at Walsh: “So many people have asked me to ‘coming home.’ ”
The Burkes (who have no children) and the Silvestros (who have two older sons) say they enjoy the sound of these new voices calling them “Mommy and Dad.”
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Jill Burke said.
Happy to have parents
Of course, Pacifique, Hyacinthe and Jeanne D’arc adore having someone to finally call Mom and Dad. Their faces just light up at the thought.
“We never had that before,” Hyacinthe chimed in.
Apart from their new families and new friends at church and school, there’s much in the Greater Hudson community they enjoy.
“I like volleyball and basketball,” Pacifique said. “And I like the bike.” The Burkes often ride with him as a family.
Hyacinthe likes basketball and soccer and traditional Rwandan dance.
Jeanne D’arc’s hobbies are volleyball and soccer and all kinds of music. One of her favorite artists is Nicki Minaj.
However, at the top of their collective music list is the Rwandan national anthem, which talks about reconciliation and the genocide. Their voices blend beautifully when they sing it.
“We sing it, we talk about it so we will never forget and help it never to happen again,” a deep-in-thought Pacifique said.
As I surveyed the faces of all of those gathered together as family in the Silvestros’ home, I couldn’t help thinking about the lyrics of another song (Whitney Houston’s One Moment in Time) that speaks so well to what’s unfolding before their very eyes:
Each day I live
I want to be
A day to give
The best of me.
I’m only one
But not alone
My finest day
Is yet unknown.
Give me one moment in time
When I’m more than I thought I could be,
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me.
Give me one moment in time
When I’m racing with destiny.
Then in that one moment in time,
I will be I will be
I will be free
I will be
I will be free.
Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or emailed at jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.
