The Kigali Genocide Memorial provides a national and international focal point for remembrance of the Genocide against the Tutsi. The final resting-place for 250,000 victims of the genocide, it is a site where their memory is preserved and where people from all walks of life can honour their humanity, learn about what happened to them and reflect on the challenges this experience raises for our lives and communities today.
Birthplace of the Peace and Values Education now built into Rwanda’s national schools curriculum, the Memorial is also home to the Kigali Community Peace Centre where every year thousands of Rwandans including teachers, students, parents and decision makers are trained on Peace and Values Education to help them build sustainable peace.
The Aegis Trust’s ASPIRE programme (Action for Sustainable Peace, Inclusion, Rights & Equality) is also based at the Memorial. Building on the work of previous educational programmes, it addresses key drivers of conflict and insecurity by promoting the teaching of skills and values known to build peace, in both formal education and community-based settings; supporting trauma healing, through increasing mental health literacy and awareness; and helping youth to build sustainable livelihoods as alternatives to violence.
Our work is not only about the past but also about the future – and ways in which all of us have a role in genocide prevention. In coming decades, hundreds of millions of people will migrate as their lands become uninhabitable due to climate change. Development of sustainable livelihoods, trauma healing, and peace education of the kind pioneered at the Kigali Genocide Memorial will have a key role to play in mitigating conflict. Find out more about our vision for this.
Situated at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the Genocide Archive of Rwanda is dedicated to documentation of the Genocide against the Tutsi. It records evidence of the genocide, testimonies of survivors and eyewitnesses, and details of genocide victims. It has a repository for physical artefacts, and a website which includes video testimonies, archival photographs, colonial documents and identification records. Visit www.genocidearchiverwanda.org.rw to find out more and browse the online archive.
When the Aegis Trust was developing the Kigali Genocide Memorial in 2004, the team interviewed over 2,000 people and quickly realized some of those most affected by the genocide could not meet basic needs. Facing the emotional, financial and health challenges experienced by these survivors, staff felt compelled to help. What started with staff members donating to assist survivors in difficult circumstances was formalized with the Rebuilding Lives programme based at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Through it, we continue to bridge the gap for some of those most in need and care for survivors who inspire us in our fight against genocide.
Copyright © 2023 Aegis Trust. All Rights Reserved. Registered Charity: UK – Aegis Trust, charity no. 1082856, US – Aegis America Inc, EIN 31-1769192, Rwanda – Aegis Rwanda
