Fifi was 16 years old when the Rwandan genocide began in 1994.
As violence escalated in Butare, her hometown, she sought protection at a local government office with other Tutsi, including Chantal, who would become a close friend.
Government officials turned the Tutsi over to the killers, who repeatedly raped the Tutsi women and girls, including Fifi and Chantal. Those who resisted were killed.
The violence Fifi endured was her only sexual experience; it left her infected with HIV. Chantal tested negative for HIV, married, and is raising a family. Unable to afford medicine, Fifi became increasingly ill and Chantal cared for her. Fifi died of AIDS on February 14, 2003.
