Nandi’s Story – “I wasn’t a given chance to even hug my son.” In Rwanda now, Nov. 2014.

A Friends New Underground Railroad Story

I go by the name of Nandi. Am 28yrs of age and a professional teacher of Chemistry. I used to teach at a Catholic school ([name] Senior Secondary School) Being a science teacher was lucky to get a job soon after completing my bachelor’s degree at [name] University. I was assigned to teacher Senior 2 and Senior 4.

Early this year my life changed forever. I have always guided my personal secrets because I used to live in a very homophobic country. Living in such a hostile environment I took no chances, only fellow bisexual girlfriends and a few lesbians knew that I was bisexual. I covered it up very well right from my earlier days as a teenager. I realized that I was different from other girls when I was about 15yrs, I was always attracted to both girls and boys.

As during my second year at [name] university, I chanced on dating a boy it was love but still I had several girl friends for open relationship and I have a confession to make I loved having sex with girls more than boys. I stayed with A for years and when I had just started working I got pregnant and A was happy, he wanted to make our relationship official but I told him, no please. Though he wasn’t so happy with my negative we were still happy. I lived a double live of having a full time boyfriend and father of Isaac my son in the house and at one again having a girlfriend, a lover – V, loved so much and I could do anything for her. I suffered inside, I decided to confide in A about my secret life so I can be a little more free

As the news of signing the Anti – gay law was running in every media across the global on the 14th of Feb, I was on a romantic dinner with A at Garden hotels at the Nile. We enjoyed ourselves and after hugging and kissing him, I opened up to him! He laughed it off and said it’s a joke, it can’t be true. He asked for proof, so I showed him pictures, short videos, messages and recorded conversations with V. A almost fainted. He went silent and walked away from the hotel gardens, he went to his parents and his parents called him by the time I reached home, everything was different. He asked me to leave immediately, of course I resisted but when security and mobs picked interest I had to run away, the following morning I went to explain to the headmaster of the school where I was teaching but he had already reached the news, I wasn’t asked to resign or given any letters of terminating my contract but asked to leave. All my students were told and some fellow teachers tried to make it though I was even trying to hit on them and also sleep with female students

I wasn’t given a chance to even hug my son, there was nowhere to run. That’s when I remembered a small charity where we once went for team building and socialization one evening with V. They welcomed me with open hands and advised me on what to do, I got a travel document in a record time.

A one person I am going call AW was so helpful, with almost nothing he managed to take me somewhere as he coordinated support, within 3 days we had the financial and moral support from FNUR in USA. The money they sent was able to get me to another country where I stayed for 2months before finally being accepted to settle in Kigali Rwanda where am working as a teacher

Am so grateful to FNUR for the support and I highly recommend their services and work.

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