World Vision staff at Kwibuka
The World Vision Rwanda has paid tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide while pledging to fight genocide denial and ideology.
Officials and staff of the organisation conducted the visit at the Kigali Genocide memorial where 250,000 victims are laid to rest.
“I am humbled to be with you and the rest of the Rwandans as we pay tribute to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. On this 28th commemoration, we grieve the lives that were lost and we stand with the survivors,” Paul Okumu, World Vision International Rwanda Representative said on this April 29.
“As an organization, we stand in solidarity with you. We honor the memory of all the innocent lives that were atrociously killed during this period.”
The Genocide against the Tutsi lasted for 100 days, from April 7th to July 4th, 1994, and over 1million Tutsi were killed.
“In 1996, when Genocide survivors who had taken refuge in neighboring countries began to return to the country, World Vision started a reconciliation and peace-building program,” Okumu said.
“To play a role in rebuilding a country that was shattered then, World Vision developed a specific model of learning new tools to manage painful emotions and considering a path to forgiveness.”
However, survivors say the Genocide started in 1959 when several Tutsis were also killed, houses burnt and properties raided.
“Some of my relatives were killed before 1994, it started a long time earlier,” Dimetrice Sisi, a survivor said.
