A Winnipeg school teacher has shared her story of survival after an attack in Africa and pledged to keep up her humanitarian work.
For the past decade, Amanda Furst has spent time working with children in Rwanda and Tanzania with the organization she founded, Growing Opportunities International.
She told CTV News the organization has had a very successful year. Some of their projects included building a community centre, a nursery school and creating a breakfast program.
"We're doing it for the kids and we believe the kids should have every opportunity that we have here. So be it access to free education, be it access to sports and recreation, it's all worthwhile and it's just going to help them develop to their full potential," said Furst.
But on July 29, she was jogging in Kisesa, Tanzania when a stranger attacked her. She said he raped her and cut her hands with a knife.
Furst recently blogged about the experience and said she spent months navigating a terrible medical system, dealing with corrupt police and her travel insurance company, and undergoing surgery to repair the tendons and nerves in her middle and index fingers on her left hand.
Still, Furst vowed to continue her work in the community and not let one person’s actions stop her.
“Hopefully, it will prevent things that unfortunately happened to me, hopefully it can prevent that in the future by giving the kids the best start they can have and helping them develop fully," said Furst.
She has returned to the community since the attack and said people were supportive. She plans to return again this summer.
Furst has blogged about her experiences at amazingamandaintanzania.blogspot.ca.
