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The “child headed households” phenomenon in Rwanda appeared after the genocide committed against the Tutsi that shook to the core both family structure and social organization. Some children were thus brought to live in parentless households. Most of these households were headed by another slightly older child considered to be parent and elder brother/sister. How do those new kinds of family work? What role and position does each member of the sibling group adopt? The present article presents the results of a study based on life story approach interviews involving 16 participants. Qualitative analysis of these interviews reveals the role played by the eldest siblings and the way in which the group creates a new family structure, seeking to mitigate the suffering of parental loss and providing valuable psychological support for the protagonists.