On April 6, 1994, the assassination of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana sparked genocide in Rwanda.
The 100-day campaign of state-led mass slaughter left more than 800,000 people dead — primarily members of the Tutsi ethnic minority, along with moderate Hutus. It included roadblocks and hate radio broadcasts to mobilize citizens against their neighbors.
Alex Nsengimana (pictured above), who grew up in the East African nation, was just six years old at the time. He recently shared with American Family Radio (AFR) that his family was attacked by their own neighbor.
"Our grandmother and one of our uncles were killed," he remembered. "Me and my brother, my sister … were wondering, 'Why are these people doing this to us?'"
After three months of hiding in bushes and surviving on the run, Alex and his brother were placed in an orphanage with hundreds of other children suffering from trauma.
That is when Samaritan's Purse delivered Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to their facility.
"The most important shoebox item that I got is an item that you can't see; you can't hold it," Nsengimana told AFR. "It's the seed of hope and love of Jesus Christ that was planted in my life there and then. I didn't accept Christ as my Lord and Savior, but a seed was planted."
Years later, Alex became a Christian, and he returned to Rwanda in 2013, visiting prisons to share the gospel of forgiveness with those involved in the genocide.
Nsengimana is now part of the Operation Christmas Child team. He believes the shoeboxes demonstrate God's love.
"It is such an honor and a privilege to be able to send the gospel of Jesus Christ to another child and knowing that through their local church, they're going to hear about Jesus," he said.
Operation Christmas Child's 2026 National Collection Week takes place Nov. 16-23. Samaritan's Purse processes and ships the shoeboxes internationally from November to December, with distribution to children in more than 100 countries taking place from December 2026 through February 2027.
"Eventually, all those items are going to be gone, but what's going to live with them are the seeds of hope and love of Jesus Christ," Nsengimana said.
