Friend,

The weight of rejection at a time of personal crisis is a heavy blow. Agatha, a 24 year-old  single mother from Rwanda fell in love in high school with a man who left her before their  baby boy was born. She was kicked out of her school in shame, and her family rejected her for coming home pregnant instead of with her diploma. They told Agatha she was worthless and had failed them after they had invested in her education. Even her church choir shunned her and didn’t let her sing in choir anymore. 

All of this led to severe depression for Agatha. She had no support and no way to provide  for her son. Feeling like she had no other options, her depression deepened and she could not carry on. She decided to end her life. 

She took her sleeping child and put him on the straw mat in her room and was ready to hang  herself. Then her son woke up crying, and Agatha decided to breastfeed him one last time.  As she did, she gazed into her son’s eyes, and couldn’t believe that she would leave him to be  alone. 

Yet even in her worst moment, God was making a way. Knowing Agatha was a single mom,  someone had invited her to be part of a Five Talents Savings Group. She said that joining the group ‘was like a dream.’ 

Agatha made friends in her Savings Group and quickly found a community of support from  other single mothers. She started her first business with just $1.60, buying a bag of candy to  resell on the side of the road. She was able to start providing something to feed her son, and to save a little money.