A TRIBUTE: PHILBERT

On April 7, 2010, our dear Philbert passed away. He, along with 17 others drowned in Lake Kivu after a tragic boating accident on their way to a genocide memorial. Philbert was top of his class and an exceptionally hard worker. He focused his studies on Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Not only was he diligent in his studies, he was an incredibly skilled musician on the guitar. Philbert was the only child of 4 to survive the genocide. Philbert’s mother recalled that when the genocide occurred, Philbert was 2 years old, he could walk and had started talking. After the genocide, she said, he could not crawl let alone walk. He walked again at 4 or 5 years old and she exclaimed that God had answered her prayers because this was a miracle. From that time on Philbert did nothing but grow, excel, and touch the lives of those around him with his beautiful spirit. He will be sorely missed and his memory never forgotten.