They began as strangers on a train. On a trip from New York to Boston last summer, Sasha Chanoff took the seat next to Kristi Maynard. They struck up a conversation, and Mr. Chanoff shared the story of Mapendo International, the humanitarian organization he founded four years ago to aid rescue efforts for African refugees. Mrs. Maynard took an immediate interest in the cause, and before they parted in Boston, the two agreed to keep in touch.

When Mr. Chanoff sent Mrs. Maynard several individual stories of people rescued and relocated by Mapendo International, she felt even more compelled to lend a hand in the effort. “I was just so blown away by Rose’s story, and the stories of all the survivors,” explained Mrs. Maynard. She quickly volunteered to host a fundraiser for the organization at her home in Chilmark.

Friends of Mapendo International gathered last Friday at Mrs. Maynard’s home to celebrate the thousands of African refugees rescued since the establishment of the organization. The guest of honor was Rose Mapendo, the woman for whom the organization was named.

Ms. Mapendo sat for an interview in a brightly-lit sun room of the Maynard home as guests trickled into the tent set up in the backyard on Friday. She told of unspeakable horrors and she did so with a virtue and grace that was surprising under the circumstances.

Ms. Mapendo was living with her family in the Democratic Republic of Congo when war broke out in 1998. Late one night, soldiers appeared at her door to arrest her, her husband and their children for no other reason than their Tutsi ethnicity. Her husband was tortured and executed almost immediately, leaving Ms. Mapendo to care for their seven children in dismal prison conditions. She soon discovered she was pregnant. She gave birth to twins on the cement floor of the prison she describes as a death camp. She said she was careful not to scream out for fear of retribution from prison guards.

Ms. Mapendo resigned herself to die a prisoner. “I wanted to die free,” she explained, referring to a spiritual freedom as opposed to physical. She knew the only way to do so was to let go of her anger towards the soldiers who had murdered her husband and stolen her life and the lives of her children. More importantly, she said she needed to forgive God for allowing her family to suffer such horrors. She sought solace in prayer.

“My father told us when we were young, when you don’t forgive someone, God can never forgive you,” she said. “I said, ‘God, this is the end of my life. My husband is already gone. Now I still have kids.’ I said ‘God, I forgive you, what you have done to us . . . and I forgive all those enemies . . .’ God gave me strength, and he gave me peace.”

In the end, hope — and life — prevailed. After 16 months in prison, Ms. Mapendo and her children were taken to a refugee camp in the capital of Congo. As part of a American-sponsored emergency evacuation and resettlement plan, Mr. Chanoff traveled to the camp with a refugee rescue team. The group was given a list of refugees to evacuate, and warned that the mission would be compromised if the team departed from the official list. Ms. Mapendo’s name was not on the list. Mr. Chanoff was told to leave her and her family behind.

“We did a lot of soul searching, and realized that we couldn’t follow those orders,” said Mr. Chanoff. Instead, he made sure Ms. Mapendo joined the other refugees at a different camp. She and her family were relocated to the United States six months later. She now acts as a public ambassador for Mapendo International, sharing her story in an effort to raise awareness about the urgent need for refugee assistance. She tells her tale of horror over and over again, each time reliving the nightmare of her experience and hoping that her story might persuade just one more person to join the effort to ease the desperate refugee crisis in Africa. Her devotion and bravery have earned her nationwide recognition. During World Refugee Day in Washington last month, Ms. Mapendo was named Humanitarian of the Year by the United Nations.

“I think this is the reason God saved my life. I can give a little piece of my time to help the other people,” said Ms. Mapendo. “Nobody knows what is going on in the refugees lives.... That’s why I think I cannot be selfish.

“When I think of my children today, they have food. How about the other children that have no food and have no parents? If maybe I can speak on their behalf, maybe someone can go to rescue them.”

Last Friday’s private fundraiser underscored the stark contrast between the horrors Ms. Mapendo has experienced in the Congo and the comfort and prosperity enjoyed by so many on the Island. The outdoor tent stood in the middle of the Maynard estate, nestled between the home and a well-kept pasture. A table overflowed with fruit and cheeses, and waiters made their way through the crowd with trays full of gourmet hors d’oeuvre. It was this kind of disparity that inspired Mrs. Maynard to become involved with Mapendo International in the first place.

“I feel like I have a purpose now . . . We have the money to help; we have the love to help, and we want to help,” Mrs. Maynard said.

Mr. Chanoff briefed guests about Mapendo International and presented a slide show. He then invited Ms. Mapendo to share her story for a second time that day. She approached the microphone with tears forming in her eyes, and began with a song; a heartrending melody sung in her native tongue. She wept as she sang, and explained afterwards that it was a song from the prison camp.

“I sang that song after my forgiveness,” she told the crowd. When she finished her story, she offered guests an expression of gratitude. “On behalf of those refugees you are saving, I want to say thank you. All who are here today, may God bless you.”

The rescue efforts funded by Mapendo International extend to countries throughout Africa. They work with the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program, which allows people who have fled from countries in conflict to rebuild their lives safely in the United States

“Every year the U.S. President and congress set a ceiling of how many refugees can come here. This year the ceiling is 80,000 people.

“Sometimes, if you are a minority in a camp, you are threatened. Sometimes, if you are a woman without a husband or a protector, you’re at risk of being raped. Sometimes, if you are a child without adult supervision, you’re at risk of being attacked,” said Mr. Chanoff. “We founded Mapendo International to protect [these] forgotten refugees.”

“It costs only $500 to save one refugee. It only costs $2,500 to save a whole family. And tonight, I have a matching grant. If I can raise $25,000, I get another $25,000 tonight,” said Mrs. Maynard in a conversation just before the fundraiser began.

The exact amount of money raised is not known at this time, but Matt Edmundson, operations officer for Mapendo International, confirmed yesterday that the Maynard gathering had reached the $25,000 goal necessary to receive the matching grant. To date, Mapendo International had helped about 4,600 people into the resettlement process.