Since retiring as director of Survivors Fund (SURF) last year, Mary Kayitesi Blewitt OBE has been writing up her experience of working with survivors of the Rwandan genocide. Mary dedicated fifteen years of her life to the work, ever since learning that 50 members of her own family had been killed in the genocide in 1994.

Mary was interviewed on the BBC World Service about the forthcoming release of her book, You Alone May Live, which is to be released next month. It is an important book about grief and survival in the face of unimaginable trauma. It traces the arc of Mary’s own extraordinary journey from a childhood in exile in Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda, to trying to come to terms with the loss of her family in the genocide, to setting up the Survivors Fund (SURF).

“Poignant, sad and sometimes overwhelming, this book records Mary’s story but also encompasses the painful testimonies of those who survived and shared their memories with her.”

Mary remains to this day a tireless advocate for the cause of survivors, and serves as an ambassador for SURF. As a small organisation, her support is critical in enabling us to inform, educate and engage more people of the situation for survivors today.

Mary will be undertaking a series of events to launch the book, including a panel discussion with Archbishop Desmond Tutu on 12th May in London. I will be flagging up further events on our e-newsletter, for which you can subscribe here.

We dearly hope that you will support the publication of the book. Copies can be pre-ordered from Amazon. Your support as ever, is greatly appreciated!