Youth for Hope students’ association visited the Kigali genocide memorial to pay tributes to the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi, to learn more about the history of Rwanda and to encourage young people to contribute in the reconstruction of Rwanda.

They laid wreaths on the burial place, where more than 250, 000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi are laid to rest, and observed a minute of silence, as a symbol of paying respects to the Genocide victims.

Diane Muhoza, the president of Youth for Hope said that young people are the pillar of development; they should join their forces to the reconstruction of the country.

“My message to the youth is to work together, build their lives on God’s word and love each other. When you rely on God, you can’t be easily misled to participate in destructive actions and hate; young people should join their hands stand up for our country, looking forward what can develop and Prosper our Nation,” Diane said.

The co-founder of the association, Joseph Habimana said that young people should not only focus on the history they read in books but also visiting memorials sites to have a clear picture on what happened.

“My advice to young generation who were born after the Genocide or who were young at that time to learn more about the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi. Books and school are good references but it is really necessary to visit the memorials sites, as it has clear messages with facts,” Said Joseph.

Yvette Umuhoza, member of Youth for Hope association, encourage young people to build sustainable peace in their communities so that it never happen again.

“Some young people think that what they see in movies or other platforms about the Genocide are fictions, but what I have seen is beyond bearing, this is our time as youth to take the initiative of building peace in our communities and rebuild our nation,” Yvette said.

Youth for Hope is a youth organization with 150 members, created in 2013 by students from different universities around the country, to support each other at school, socially and give back to the community. They conduct monthly charity programs for people in need especially children and widows and during the Commemoration period they support survivors in improving their lives.