Livelihoods

Livelihoods

A primary focus of SURF’s work is rebuilding the lives of survivors by working with our partner organisations to increase numbers of those with secure and sustainable livelihoods. Our largest funder in 2009 was the Charities Advisory Trust which, through … Continue Reading »

International Funding

International Funding

SURF was founded with an objective to raise funding internationally for survivors of the genocide in Rwanda. In her memoir, You Alone May Live, SURF Founder, Mary Kayitesi Blewitt, recalls her first few months of work on her return from … Continue Reading »

The Holocaust and Rwanda

In many elements of SURF’s work addressing the consequences of the Rwandan genocide, there is a relation to the Holocaust as well as other genocides too. On our current project with UK-based survivors and schools, we have been privileged to … Continue Reading »

Speaking2Survivors

Over the past month, SURF has organised three workshops with schools from London, Oxford and Rugby to enable students to meet with and interview UK-based survivors of the Rwandan genocide about their lives before and after genocide, and experience during … Continue Reading »

Website

We are fortunate to receive many visitors to this, our website. We now average more than 3,000 unique visitors each month. Many of the visitors are from educational institutions, searching for statistics on the genocide. Others are supporters, wanting an … Continue Reading »

Forgiveness

In previous posts I have addressed the issue of forgiveness in Rwanda, but I wanted to post again following a superb lecture I attended yesterday by Archbishop Desmond Tutu on “Is violence ever justified?” The lecture was followed by a panel … Continue Reading »

Stewardship

Last week I attended an excellent free training workshop on Stewardship, organised by the fsi (Foundation for Social Improvement). I knew little about the fsi or stewardship before the workshop, but left much the wiser at the end of the … Continue Reading »

April

April is a difficult month for survivors. It marks the anniversary of the genocide, and the beginning of the period of mourning which runs until July. In both Rwanda and the UK, there are a number of commemorations to mark … Continue Reading »

Claims and contentions

A number of articles of late have raised awareness of the lack of support that survivors in Rwanda have received, and continue to receive, from international development agencies. In yesterday’s Observer, there is a fascinating profile of the Dutch writer Linda … Continue Reading »

Pledge of support

A number of events have marked the 16th Anniversary of the Rwandan genocide this week. At Southwark Cathedral, addresses were given by Linda Melvern and the new Rwandan High Commissioner to the UK, Ernest Rwamucyo, at a commemoration organised by the … Continue Reading »