One such person is Maggy Barankitse, a former schoolteacher in a village in war-ravaged Burundi. As ethnic violence tore the country apart in the early 90’s, she watched 72 of her countrymen massacred before her eyes. In those last terrifying moments before her death one of the victims asked Maggy to promise to care for her surviving child. With her own safety and well being to consider, it was a pledge Maggy had every reason not to live up to. But she fulfilled her promise ... not only to that child, but went on to care for thousands of frightened, destitute children.

With virtually nothing except her own determination, she built La Maison Shalom, four villages where children who are affected by HIV/AIDS and others who are poverty stricken and dispossessed, are nurtured and cared for giving them back their dignity and self respect. She takes care of these children without regard to religion, nationality or ethnicity. Every child goes to school and then learns skills that they will later use to generate income when they leave the villages to start a home and family. To date, she has helped more than 20 000 children and they have gone on to be productive members of society.

The conflict in Burundi is all but over. Nevertheless Maggy continues to bring normality and hope into the lives of HIV/AIDS orphans, returning exiles and child soldiers whose needs have not diminished