Salvatory Manirakiza’s Speech at Project QUEST’s graduation on May 15, 2009 – RN Grad from SAC

In honor of the San Antonio most valued and respected organization, in the name of today’s graduates, and all who are direct beneficiaries of Project QUEST support, I would like to invite everybody here to join us, to applaud and to congratulate Project QUEST for its incredible job and continuous support that it offers to the society of San Antonio, Texas and the whole country.

By lifting up those individuals who for some reason were unable to fulfill their dreams of higher education and by allowing them to have a positive view of life in this wonderful country,

By permitting us to function up to our full potential in serving our loved families, city, state and country,

By permitting us to gain independence and to have full control over the future of our families, and

By putting us into the workforce without worries of debts and loans to pay back so we can master our own incomes.

I ask you again to help me recognize this incredible support. Thank you very, very much Project QUEST.

Perhaps everybody thinks this was simple, but I want to draw your attention to why this is a big day for us. We have been able to overcome the tough times of the past by making the good decision to go back to school with the support from Project QUEST, we are now ready to enjoy the future by working in the areas that were a part of the dream we have fulfilled today. You need to know where we came from and I would like to share with you a part of my life that represents the stories of the people in front of you today.

In 1993, I was 21 years old and finishing the third level in sciences at the University of Bujumbura, Burundi, a small country in central eastern Africa. But I fled from that country because of the war and was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, now Zaire where I was in traction for 6 months because of a gun shot wound. I survived a planned leg amputation only because the kind people listened to my pleas. With the Burundi war in 1993, genocide in Rwanda in 1994 and conditions in Zaire, the only way to survive was to go to a refugee camp in Tanzania. I was separated from all my family members when I needed them the most.

In dealing with this, the only way for me was to get married. With the mixture of cultures in the refugee camp, it was not easy for the non-government organization (NGO) volunteers. There were 3 million people in the camp and about 100 languages. We had to translate for the volunteers and for the Zaire people in a situation not seen since the early days of colonization. Nobody knew the languages and I was chosen to help – the hardest time of my life. I learned new local and regional languages – Swahili, Kifuriro, Lingala, Kibembe – and lost much of my English and French in doing so. With hands-on training I started working in the medical field and it changed me forever. I learned to listen and to understand people’s problems. My daily contact with doctors taught me how humans are unique but all suffer in the same way and that it is important to alleviate their pain.

In Project QUEST, I found a way to overcome the pains of my own past. After 12 years in the refugee camps of slowly losing some of my native language capability, I thought any further education was over. My friends kept telling me I could start over at any age and I realized it was possible to continue.

I arrived in America in 2004 and my first job was house aide in a hotel at $6.50/hr with a $750 rent for me and my family. This was very depressing. I had to go back to the Catholic Charity and fight with them to understand that I had not come to America to continue suffering – I already had that in the refugee camps. I found a counselor who listened and I then completed Certified Nurse Aide classes (CNA). I started to work as a CNA and was able to go back to school. I almost dropped out because of my heavy responsibilities as a husband, father, student, worker and translator for other refugees. My only choice was to stop school – but how would I pay for my expenses and my family?

At that point, I found a friend who happened to become my father and someone who accepted to take over my pain and to carry it for me. This was someone who promised me to pay for my school fees, my books, and even gas for my car. I did not have to pay my friend back. It was a dream I could hardly believe.

Who was that person? Project QUEST! You know what contract I signed? It was just to stay in school and to work in San Antonio for two years after graduation. I think that was an easy contract since I was not considering moving. My dream of higher education is fulfilled with the support from Project QUEST. I can now take a deep breath and say THANK YOU Project QUEST.

Let me explain how we all got here today. Project QUEST supporters have supported us and they know that it is not only money but emotional support as well. They know that many of the students will encounter some problems and that they will help them find solutions without having to quit school. As graduates, it is now time for us to give back to the society for the support we received from Project QUEST. We look for more respect for Project QUEST as we remain committed to our jobs and Project QUEST gets positive feedback from our employers.

Hold on to your future – be confident and competent. We have been tested many times and we have done well. IF it gets tough, do not quit and remember that you are stronger than before. Now you are a professional able to look at any problem from inside and outside and to find a way to face it and defeat it. We say thank you Project QUEST. Thank you for your support and we really appreciate your help. God bless you.