‘Café du Memorial’ and the souvenir shop at the Kigali Genocide Memorial are small-scale social enterprises. They were been developed by young Rwandans wanting to change their livelihoods, support others and give meaning to their work. The income generated from these social enterprises is invested back into the memorial to support the preservation of archives and to run education programmes the memorial.
The products sold at the souvenir shop have been custom made for the Kigali Genocide Memorial by a local cooperative made up of widows of the Genocide against the Tutsi. The cooperative was founded in 2006 and makes a range of high quality arts and crafts for local and international customers. Called, ‘Ubumwe’, meaning unity in Kinyarwanda, the cooperative works to preserve the memory of the Genocide and support Rwandan togetherness.
By purchasing something from the souvenir shop, you are supporting survivors of the Genocide to build dignified and prosperous lives.