The honorable Sister Milgitha died on 3 February 2016 aged 80, as a result of illness.
Originally from the diocese of Münster in Germany, Sister Milgitha lived in Rwanda from September 1973. Since then, she devoted her time to numerous charitable works, notably the construction and management of the health centre in Kaduha, in the former prefecture of Gikongoro, in the southwest of the country.
In 1994, when Rwanda was overwhelmed by the horror of genocide, Sister Milgitha refused to despair. Accompanied by her fellow sister, Quirina, and some of her Hutu employees, she searched among the bodies of victims strewn inside and outside the church of Kaduha to find those who were still breathing. She hid them and cared for them in her centre. As a result of her brave and heroic actions, she managed to save hundreds of people, most of them orphans. When she fell ill in December 2015, Sister Milgitha was evacuated to Germany for treatment. But unfortunately, the illness was stronger. Her funeral was held on 12 February 2016 in Münster. On the same day in evening, a Mass in his memory was celebrated in Rwanda, at the Centre Christus in Remera, Kigali. During the Mass, several genocide survivors she saved during the genocide offered her profound tributes through moving testimonies and religious songs. And if there was a word that could describe Sister Milgitha without hesitation, it would be that of humanity. May the earth rest on her lightly.
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