An Invitation
Love’s Inventions is Maggy’s invitation to participate in the transformative power of love and reconciliation. Following her example, let’s join hearts and hands to change our world as ambassadors of love for all humanity.
Invite Maggy
to speak
Love’s Inventions is a capstone on Marguerite (Maggy) Barankitse’s lifetime of extravagant love and selfless service to generations of orphans and refugees impacted by ethnic conflicts and genocide in Central Africa’s Great Lakes region.
Sometimes dubbed “the crazy woman from Burundi,” Maggy is herself a survivor of genocide in her native land who has rescued thousands of children in her Maison Shalom (“House of Peace” orphanages in Burundi and neighboring Rwanda. Along with providing outposts of safety and shelter at Maison Shalom, Maggy has built schools and hospitals.
Maggy’s mission has been recognized around the world with numerous prizes and honors — the North-South Prize from the Council of Europe, the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child, the Voices of Courage Award of the Women’s Commission for Women and Refugee Children, the Opus Prize, and the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity.
Maggy’s work is guided, in her words, by “no strategic plan but love” — a fierce love that inspires innovation and action tinged with a taste of rebellion. It’s a love that shatters the status quo and instead offers imaginative, sometimes radical, and counterintuitive solutions.
Love’s Inventions is Maggy’s invitation to participate in the transformative power of love and reconciliation. Following her example, let’s join hearts and hands to change our world as ambassadors of love for all humanity.
Love Made
Me an Inventor
By David Toole
This authorized biography tells the powerful story of Maggy Barankitse—a woman who answered genocide with love. Written by David Toole, the book traces her journey from the founding of Maison Shalom to her ongoing work with refugee communities, offering a profound reflection on compassion, courage, and human dignity.
Upcoming Events
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Maggy and Hannah Thomas at Duke University-CANCELLED!
November 12, 2025
Hear Maggy and Hannah Thomas speak at Duke University on November 12, 2025.
Learn More
Our Work
Love’s Inventions exists to share Maggy Barankitse’s story, a story of imagination, hope, and love. Her story illustrates the possibilities of finding joy amidst suffering, and shows how trials and suffering can become a path to hope. Our desire is to further Maggy’s legacy, to expand her partnerships, and to inspire a new generation to join her commitment to solving the world’s social problems.
“Saints are made by ordinary people doing brave and humble things in extraordinary circumstances. Maggy Barankitse is one of those saints.”
— Rosie Marie Berger, Senior Editor, Sojourners Magazine
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Love’s Inventions is Maggy’s invitation to participate in the transformative power of love and reconciliation. Following her example, let’s join hearts and hands to change our world as ambassadors of love for all humanity.
