Yvonne: Pélagie's two sons ran over to my home. When they arrived they said, "Hide us. They have just destroyed our home. Mom is in Gitaza running her business."

Pélagie: Yvonne told them, "Children, I will do my best to protect you. You will die the same way I will die."

Yvonne: I hid the children.

Pélagie: When I arrived home, I heard that Yvonne had taken in my children. By then, my house was burning. I lost everything in it. When I arrived at Yvonne's, my children saw me and we passed the night there.

Yvonne: Another woman, a Rwandan Tutsi refugee who was married to a soldier joined us. I gave them all a place to sleep.

Early in the morning a neighbour came and told me, "You should be very careful. People are saying that you have given refuge to Pélagie and her children." I was afraid and my guests began shivering of fear. I said to myself, "I am a widow and I am going to die! Who will save me?" we stayed there the whole day and night.

When the cock crowed the following morning, I woke my guests up. I knew the places where the Hutu militia were supposed to patrol from. We went through another way. I led them to a small bridge that was on the river Kanyosha.

Pélagie: We left her house together. We took buckets and we pretended that we were going to fetch water from the river. When we arrived at the river, it was at dawn. Normally, we used to go there to get water early in the morning. Then she told us to cross the river and she continued fetching water. We crossed the river and she went back home.

Yvonne: As they left me, I told them, "Go in peace. If God wishes, we will meet again." They crossed the river and they escaped to an area safe for Tutsi. We did not meet again for many years.