GASSILDE

About the Book

For Gassilde, growing up as a Hutu girl in Burundi in the 1960s means she has little choice about the path her life will take. It means she will marry young—and that the man she marries will have little or no respect for women. It means her father, brothers, and eventually her husband will have the right to beat her—or worse. It means she will grow up in a farm community without an education. As one of seven children, she, along with her sisters and her mother, is expected to work in the fields each day to provide food for the family.

But Gassilde’s mother, Claudia, wants a better life for Gassilde, and with a Tutsi friend devises a way for Gassilde to go to school—against her father’s wishes and with horrible consequences.

With a newfound ability to dream of a life different from that of her mother and sisters, Gassilde’s future is set on a path where she faces conflict at every turn. This new life exposes her to extreme racism and violence—but, most of all, it exposes her to hope.

About the Author

Jean d’Or Nkezabahizi was born in Burundi in Central East Africa. Despite his parents’ efforts to protect him, he grew up in the midst of constant hatred, abuse and violence. After witnessing the murder of his own father, and narrowly escaping the same fate himself, Jean d’Or fled Burundi in 2002 and landed in Ontario, Canada.

Inspired by and thankful for his own opportunity to live in a peaceful and free country, Jean d’Or’s dream is to motivate others – especially other immigrants around the world - to follow and achieve their dreams. He has done this through a number of public speaking engagements with local schools, churches and youth organizations.

Jean d’Or obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Theology in 2006, a Diploma in Insurance and Administration Business in 2009, and is currently working on his Masters Degree. He is also a founding member of a non-profit organization called Widow’s Strength International – an organization dedicated to helping widows in India and other parts of the world. Moreover, he is an active member and volunteer in his church and works with teens.