Two decades later, it is chocking to hear stories of genocide survivors who still find it hard to secure at least one meal per day.  The Government of Rwanda  purports to have spent millions of Rwandan Francs for  supporting the most vulnerable survivors since the inception of the Fund for the support of the most vulnerable genocide survivors (FARG) in 1998.  The quotes below  eloquently questions the  impact such amount of money has made in the lives of poor survivors. 

”Sometimes my children go hungry and sit for their exams at school on empty stomachs. I am worried about their academic performance. The one in Nine-Year Basic Education is often frustrated when he sees his colleagues having meals at school while he is hungry,”  A genocide survivor, kampire, told the New Times today

Kampire’s family was one of the families that were this past weekend visited by Sisterhood in Christ Ministries, a local non-profit organisation, as part of their effort to put a smile on the vulnerable during the festive season. “They gave us meals and clothes. Now, I am happy that I have what to wear on Christmas and New Year,” said old Caroline Mukandoli, 56, whose husband, son and relatives were killed in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. During the event, the survivors and their guests shared a meal which many survivors here described as one of the greatest moments of their life.”

The continued call of survivors for a comprehensive reparation fund  once it is heard by the Rwandan Goverment and the international community, it will significantly make a difference in the lives of survivors like Kampire and Mukandoli cited above.  End

Photo: Genocide widows in Gisagara District /Nina Strochlic/The Daily Beast

The full article as appeared in the New Times is also available here