Can you forgive someone who killed your family?
Over one million Tutsi were killed during the 1994 genocide. Since 1996, International Alert has been operating in Rwanda: strengthening reconciliation, reintegration and conflict transformation among people affected by conflicts and genocide against the Tutsi in the country.
The most recent phase of this work, the Duhuze Project, ran from June 2017 to March 2022 across the Gasabo, Musanze, Rubavu, Ngororero, Gisagara, Huye and Nyamagabe districts. Through the Duhuze Project, International Alert Rwanda sought to contribute to the consolidation of a peaceful Rwandan society by supporting enhanced citizens’ participation, fostering social cohesion and encouraging ownership of reconciliation processes. To implement the project, Alert worked in partnership with ARCT-Ruhuka (a national association of professional trauma counselors), and AJPRODHO-JIJUKIRWA (a Rwanda human right based organization).
We celebrate the power of reconciliation through the stories of those who have lived it. The stories of those involved in the Duhuze Project show the world that peace is possible, even in the most difficult circumstances:
Primi and Pascal
Primitiva and Pascal are one powerful example of what can be overcome in these groups. Dialogue groups that address trauma have been crucial and rebuilding relationships between the perpetrators and victims of the genocide.
Zacharie
Zacharie explains how much of the work of reconciliation happens outside of meetings, as members take what they have learned to heart and live their values. Inviting others to be part of the group, making amends, building trust and offering forgiveness.
Augustin and Josepha
Augustin and Josepha’s experience shows that communities that work together have even stronger bonds.
Alice and Hassan
And it’s not just those who lived through the genocide against Tutsi who suffer. Young people are playing an important part in the reconciliation process. Alice and Hassan explain how important it was for them to heal from events that happened before they were even born.
Claudine and Juvenal
While Claudine and Juvenal describe how they have been reunited with their families after being rejected because of their mixed marriage.
The Full Story of Duhuze
Listen to all of these stories in full, and find out more about the Duhuze project, by watching the video below:
Learn more
Find out more about our work in Rwanda or how our teams are working on reconciliation and transitional justice elsewhere in the world.
