Students

Every year, thousands of Rwandan and international students visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial. The students are guided through the memorial to learn about the causes, reality and consequences of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. They are also taught about the importance of remembering genocide so that it can never happen again.

The education programmes run at the memorial share an important message of remembrance, peace, and personal responsibility. Visiting students learn about the unique efforts Rwanda has undertaken to overcome the challenges since 1994 and to foster a sense of shared national identity.

A typical education programme at the memorial includes the following components:

1. Rwandan History: A group discussion on the economic, political and social factors that lead to conflict and violence.
2. Genocide: An interactive session that asks questions including, ‘What is genocide?’, ‘How can it happen?’ and ‘How do ordinary people become perpetrators?’
3. Understanding the ‘Continuum of Violence:’ A set of interactive discussions on analysing violence and decision making to comprehend how it happens.
4. The Consequences of Genocide: A question and answer session on the challenges faced by individuals and society after genocide and how to overcome them.
5. The Road to Peace: An interactive session that asks the question, ‘How is it possible to have sustainable peace after genocide?’ and tells the stories of peacemakers helping to rebuild their communities.

All education sessions at the Kigali Genocide Memorial are participatory to ensure students get the most out of their experience and take the lessons home with them.

The memorial’s education programme is currently undergoing an expansion thanks to the construction of four new classrooms that were opened in April 2014 at the 10th anniversary of the memorial. Each year, the memorial receives thousands of students.

If you would like to organise for your school to visit the memorial, contact the team here.

You can support the memorial’s education programmes by making a donation here.

Education for Sustainable Peace in Rwanda

The Kigali Genocide Memorial is proud to be part of Aegis Trust’s Education for Sustainable Peace in Rwanda programme. The initiative is designed to improve the delivery of peace education and support the implementation of the newly adopted national school curriculum, which has “Peace and Values” as a crosscutting component. Objective The programme aims to contribute to sustainable peace in Rwanda through peace education within formal and non-formal education and influence related policies through research.

As part of the programme, Peace Schools are being set up across the country. These schools will be resource centres for trainings and events for teachers, parents, young people and other community members. They will also serve as places of knowledge for decision makers and researchers. The Peace Schools will host exhibitions on social cohesion, which will benefit teachers and students and the wider community. They will also provide access to the Genocide Research Hub and the Genocide Archive of Rwanda. Aegis Trust is starting with two Peace Schools with a vision to establish one in each province. The first two schools will be in Karongi in the west of Rwanda, and at the Kigali Genocide Memorial.