From Nothing
But Each Other
Steven Turikunkiko was five years old when the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi took his family. As a young man, he was compelled by something deep in him to act — to reach out to the children around him who shared his experience.
Steven gathered 80 children and made a commitment: he would see them thrive. With his leadership, they formed child-headed households, survived, and eventually registered as the Togetherness Youth Cooperative in 2012. He also helped stabilize a large group of women who had been widowed — they became the Ebenezer Cooperative, a community of strength in their own right.
His work is grounded in a simple, hard-won truth: people are better off together than alone. Even in the face of difficulty, community makes love, hope, healing, and innovation possible.
That was 1995. Almost three decades later, those children are now leaders. In 2025, the organization received official status as a Rwandan nonprofit — the Community of Togetherness. From a patch of dirt to a landscape of hope.
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