Teen mourned as loving sister
The brother of an 18-year-old girl who drowned at Fitzroy Provincial Park last weekend said the loss of his sister, remembered as a loving person with a beautiful soul, has left him heartbroken.
Rehema Kazera, also known as Cheka, drowned on Saturday while swimming.
“I'm very proud of her. She was always a good person,” her brother, Innocent Kazera, said in an interview. “She was not only my sister, she was my best friend.”
Her faith was an important part of her life, her brother said. Cheka had even prepared clothes for Sunday service before she left for the provincial park on Saturday, accompanied by other youths from her church.
After a tumultuous childhood spent in Congo and then in Burundi as refugees fleeing civil war, the Kazera family came to Canada. Cheka and Innocent bonded over their love for gospel music. Cheka sang in a choir and Innocent, a gospel singer, recalled testing verses on her, to which she always replied with love and support. “Brother, this is a great song,” he recalled her saying.
Her death is being mourned by the Congolese and Burundian community and by staff and students at her high school, École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité, from which she graduated in June.
“Known for her generosity and commitment to the service of others, she stood out for her involvement in the pastoral committee and the choir. She was a real ray of sunshine and will leave a great void in the lives of so many people she touched,” a message posted to the school's Facebook page read.
Innocent said people from a number of communities have visited the family to pay their respects. They are drawing strength from
She was a real ray of sunshine and will leave a great void in the lives of so many people she touched. SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE POSTING
their Christian faith, he added.
“I believe even though our eyes we cannot see her, I believe she is in a good place,” he said. “God is taking care of her.”
But still her loss leaves a painful void for her loved ones.
“We are a big family of nine, but now we are not nine, we're going to be eight,” Innocent said. “We loved her so much. We really loved her so, so much.”
A Gofundme page set up to help pay for a funeral has so far raised more than $10,000.