The people of Rwanda have come a long way since the 1994 genocide that took nearly a million lives. Yet the stories we hear from the survivors, but also from the ex-combatant and ex-prisoners, show that the people are still struggling to rebuild their lives. We cannot ignore their need for help.
International Alert has been working with the communities in Rwanda since 1996. We bring together victims and perpetrators to address the deep rooted trauma and find forgiveness and reconciliation for the whole community.
Patricia told us her story. It was a story of positivity and hope. Despite having lived through great suffering during and long after the genocide, she managed to find hope. International Alert helped her find a positive future. And though her story, we are reminded of how International Alert’s work makes a lasting impact on people’s lives. She told us: “International Alert helped me to realise there is no future for peace unless I can live in peace with my neighbours, even if they are Hutu and participated in my attack during the war.”
As we celebrate the International Day of Peace, we remember the people who have suffered from violence and who have, with Alert’s help, found a way to rebuild their lives. Today, we need your help to make peace possible.
So please support International Alert and give a gift that will save lives.
Your gift could:
- fund a genocide victim in their trauma counselling, helping them to move forward and deal with their grief;
- help setup a dialogue club with 30 members from all sides of the conflict to come together and find forgiveness;
- fund the training of a new facilitator in trauma counselling and reconciliation.
Thank you. Together we can make peace a reality.
