History & Area Studies / World History / African History

From Love to Genocide: One Woman's 50 Years in Rwanda's 'Land of a Thousand Hills'

Rosamond Halsey Carr

In 1949, Rosamond Halsey Carr followed her husband to Africa, seeking to save their marriage. Instead, she found a lifelong love affair with a country, Rwanda. For over 50 years, she managed a pyrethrum plantation at the foot of the Virunga Mountains, witnessing the collapse of colonialism, the rise of independence, and the devastating 1994 genocide that claimed 800,000 lives in 100 days. This is the true story of a woman who refused to leave her adopted home, even when it descended into hell. Discover how she survived the chaos, lost eight employees, and returned at age 82 to build an orphanage named Imbabazi—meaning 'forgiveness'—where Hutu, Tutsi, and Batwa children learned to heal together. A powerful tale of resilience, loss, and the radical choice to forgive.