Leadership

When I succeeded the founder of Survivors Fund (SURF), Mary Kayitesi Blewitt OBE, as the second director of the charity, I did not think that I would still be in post over four years later. After many years as a consultant, … Continue Reading »

Year One

The Widowed Survivors Empowerment Project (WSEP) is a wraparound project funded by UKaid  from the Department for International Development that provides holistic support to widowed survivors of the Rwandan genocide. By securing ownership of land and property, developing viable livelihoods, and … Continue Reading »

AVEGA Appeal

Each year, Rwanda commemorates the 1994 genocide perpetrated against Tutsi from April to July. The commemoration week runs from 7th to 13th April. During the period, AVEGA undertakes various activities for its members. Those activities are divided into three phases: … Continue Reading »

Consequences

It is estimated that between five and twenty thousand women were raped and bore children of that rape during the genocide were born as a result of rape committed against Tutsi women during the genocide. Nineteen years hence and the … Continue Reading »

Calvary

A guest post by Lindsey Hilsum, Patron of Survivors Fund (SURF). It is the season of remembrance.  On Saturday May 5th I went to the Sainte Famille Church in central Kigali to meet a group of some 200 genocide survivors … Continue Reading »

Elderly

Rwanda: Elderly Genocide Survivors – a Complex Problem. By Eric Didier Karinganire, Rwanda Focus.  Rosaria Mukamusoni, 81, lost her entire family during the Genocide, and for her, it is not history, but a lasting wound. She now stays alone in … Continue Reading »

Post-Gacaca

Post-Gacaca compensations for survivors: A missed opportunity for Reconciliation in Rwanda by Albert Gasake In this paper, Albert Gasake, Legal Advocacy Coordinator at SURF, examines the problems that persist for survivors in obtaining adequate and meaningful compensation for material assets … Continue Reading »

Resolution

EALA backs Rwanda’s quest for ICTR archives and the call for an International Trust Fund for Survivors. From The New Times, 18th April 2013. Members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) yesterday passed a motion condemning the UN system … Continue Reading »

Justice

Address of David Russell, Director of Survivors Fund (SURF), at The Berkshire Rwandese Community Event at Reading Civic Centre to mark the 19th Anniversary Commemoration of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi, 11th April 2013  Never before in modern history … Continue Reading »

Accountability

‘Never again’ means ensuring accountability for the genocide in Rwanda.  Rwanda has made significant steps in the pursuit of justice for victims of the genocide 19 years ago. But many suspected perpetrators living abroad have not been brought to justice … Continue Reading »