The Rwandan genocide began in April 1994 , when Wamariya was six years old . The family began hearing loud noises from the gunfire , which her brother Pudi attributed to thunder , and they noticed that their neighbours were absent . Realising the danger , Wamariya 's mother sent her with her sister , Claire , to the south of the country to live on her grandmother 's farm . But that too was not safe , and the family were targeted for killing . As the genocidaires knocked on the door , she and Claire were told by their grandmother to run away . By travelling at night and hiding during the day , surviving on fruit , they managed to escape from the country and became refugees . Many of her relations , including her grandmother , were killed
Rwandan genocide
Rwandan genocide
Clemantine Wamariya