In this project, I explore the question: What does it mean to be a mother?

I was raised in an orphanage and never had the chance to meet my mother. In August 2019, reflecting on what I had not experienced, I set out to ask women what motherhood truly means. This work is part of a larger project on women and motherhood, where I listened to every kind of mother: young mothers, experienced mothers, grandmothers, and even women who longed for children but did not have them.

Of particular importance to me was understanding how motherhood is lived and defined in Rwanda today. Motherhood takes many forms — from raising children as a teenager, to guiding them into adulthood, to caring for grandchildren. It can mean nurturing biological children, adopted children, or entire communities. It can mean shouldering responsibility alone, or sharing it within marriage and family.

This series features intimate portraits of mothers in their homes. The photographs are paired with the women’s own words about their lives, their children, and their hopes. Together, these stories reveal not only the challenges of motherhood but also its resilience, dignity, and strength.

In Rwandan culture, motherhood has long been celebrated as the foundation of family and community. Yet, cultural expectations often shape how different mothers are perceived. For generations, the value of a girl or woman was measured by the dowry her marriage could bring to her family — a cow, or more commonly today, money. Mothers raising children outside of marriage, for example, have carried stigma and discrimination, sometimes being treated as outcasts. Others, such as very young mothers, often face judgment and isolation within schools or neighborhoods.

At the same time, motherhood is a role filled with profound meaning. For some, it is about unconditional love. For others, it is about sacrifice, responsibility, or the joy of seeing a child grow. It is both an intimate personal experience and a deeply social identity, shaped by cultural traditions, economic realities, and generational change.

During the coronavirus pandemic, mothers across Rwanda faced additional hardship. School closures, business shutdowns, and stricter security measures created financial crises for many families. Women often bore the greatest weight of this, struggling to feed their children, balancing work and care, and navigating vulnerabilities that came with economic dependency.

Through the voices of women, this project gives insight into the living reality of motherhood in Rwanda today.

The Motherhood Project captures intimate and diverse stories of women in Rwanda as they define and live motherhood in their own ways.

For Aline Murara Tuyisenge, motherhood is rooted in love, mercy, happiness, and patience. Photographed at home in Kicukiro with her daughter Sarah, first while pregnant and later during Sarah’s fifth birthday celebration, Aline’s story embodies the nurturing bonds that grow across generations. Surrounded by family and community, she finds joy in both the quiet moments of daily life and in milestones that mark her daughter’s growth.

Ishimwe Devote, known as Devo Queen, balances multiple roles as a single mother, entrepreneur, and emerging music artist. Managing her bar while raising her daughter Bina with the support of a friend, she reflects on strength drawn from her own mother after losing her father. For Devo, choosing to be an unmarried mother is a conscious decision to prioritize her child’s well-being above societal expectations.

Jeanne Uwizeye, a single mother from northern Rwanda, faced immense challenges after becoming pregnant following high school and losing her parents in 1998. Relocating to Kigali, she has built a life around caregiving — both for her son and for her brother’s children. For Jeanne, motherhood is as simple and profound as giving life, especially knowing that some women long for that opportunity but cannot experience it.

Melanie Nyiraninda, photographed at home with her daughters Sandrine and Francaise in Gatsata, describes motherhood as a source of respect within society. Her gestures of love, from sharing daily moments of joy to gifting her daughter a diamond necklace, reflect the pride and honor she associates with being a mother.

Together, these portraits reveal motherhood as a mosaic of love, resilience, respect, and sacrifice. Each woman’s voice adds a distinct perspective, showing how motherhood in Rwanda is both deeply personal and universally significant — an enduring bond that shapes families, strengthens communities, and redefines cultural expectations.

Captions:

Aline Murara Tuyisenge shares a moment with her firstborn while her daughter kisses her sister, who is still in the womb, as Aline is seven months pregnant in their home in Kicukiro, Kigali, Rwanda, on August 14, 2019. For Aline, motherhood embodies love, mercy, happiness, and patience.

Aline, alongside her brother and their mother, celebrates her daughter’s 5th birthday at school in Kigali, Rwanda. This heartwarming scene captures the joy shared with classmates on August 14, 2019. For Aline, motherhood embodies love, mercy, happiness, and patience.

Sarah is captivated by her birthday gifts during her 5th birthday celebration, surrounded by loved ones including her mother, uncle, grandmother, and classmates. For Aline, motherhood embodies love, mercy, happiness, and patience; Kigali, Rwanda, August 14, 2019.

Ishimwe Devote, also known as Devo Queen, prepares herself before heading to her bar where she serves as a bartender and cashier, managing her own establishment to sustain herself financially. Accompanied by her high school classmate, who helps care for her daughter while she works, the two friends are captured at Devo Queen’s residence in Kanombe, Kigali, Rwanda, on August 15, 2019. As an emerging Rwandan music artist and single mother, Devo Queen finds strength in her upbringing, shaped by her single mother's influence following her father's passing. Reflecting on her journey, she shares that being an unmarried mother is a conscious choice to prioritize the care and well-being of her child.

Devo Queen embodies resilience as she fulfills dual roles in her bar, serving as both bartender and cashier, in Gikondo, Kicukiro, Kigali, Rwanda, on August 15, 2019. Balancing her responsibilities, she manages her own establishment, striving for financial stability. As an emerging Rwandan music artist and single mother, she draws strength from her upbringing, shaped by her single mother's guidance after her father's passing. Reflecting on her journey, she shares that being an unmarried mother is a conscious choice to prioritize the care and well-being of her child.

Jeanne Uwizeye demonstrates her culinary expertise as she prepares meals for patrons at her brother’s restaurant in Kicukiro Centre, Kigali, Rwanda, on August 16, 2019. Jeanne, a single mother, navigated challenges after becoming pregnant following high school. Originally from Gisenyo, northern Rwanda, she relocated to Kigali at her family’s insistence, feeling the weight of societal expectations after her parents’ passing in 1998. Despite facing adversity, Jeanne embraces motherhood, emphasizing, “Being a mother is giving birth to a child because they are those women who are not able to go.”

Sandrine Intwari captures moments of joy as she photographs her mother and younger sister using her phone within the comfort of their home in Gatsata, Kigali, Rwanda, on August 16, 2019. Reflecting on the essence of motherhood, her mother expresses, “Being a mother means gaining respect in my society.”

Melanie Nyiraninda lovingly adorns her daughter with a diamond necklace she purchased, symbolizing affection and devotion, within the comfort of their home in Gatsata, Kigali, Rwanda, on August 16, 2019. Reflecting on motherhood, Melanie shares, “Being a mother means gaining respect in my society.”

Jeanne Uwizeye accompanies her son and her brother’s children, whom she cares for, on their journey to school in Kicukiro, Kigali, Rwanda, captured on August 16, 2019. As a single mother, Jeanne overcame challenges stemming from her pregnancy after high school. Originally from Gisenyo, northern Rwanda, she relocated to Kigali at her family’s urging, grappling with societal pressures following her parents’ passing in 1998. Despite adversity, Jeanne embraces motherhood, remarking, “Being a mother is giving birth to a child because they are those women who are not able to go.”