This is exactly the story of a man who chose to marry a woman with a rare and terrifying skin condition that makes every other man not want to have anything to do with her.
Niyindeba Janvier told Afrimax English in a documentary that his heart skipped a beat when he, being a new convert, spotted Nyirantezimana Domitila singing in a church where he had gone to fellowship.
According to him, he fell in love with her and made several attempts to have her as his partner, but she rejected him, fearing that with her condition, the young man only wanted to sleep with her and dump her.
However, with the saying that winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win, Janvier kept the efforts on, trying to make Domitila see his genuineness.
When she finally gave him the nod, Janvier’s family rejected Domitila, saying that she was too ugly-looking to be his wife. He tried to convince them to accept his choice of a woman but to no avail.
On their wedding day, Janvier’s family refused to honour the event and he had to quickly look for some other people to feign being his parents for the ceremony to go on.
After marriage, life became tough for the couple as the family house in which Janvier was living with Domitila was sold out and they had to move into a rented one.
Domitila is unemployed because of stigmatisation and the unwillingness of people to accept her. Her husband’s earnings are insufficient to make them have a meaningful life.
They are calling for assistance from the public to get their own house where they wouldn’t be required to pay rent, and also do some businesses which could give them a good source of livelihood.