KWIBUKA 30: Youth in Community Peace Clubs stood in solidarity with vulnerable Genocide Survivors

During the week of commemorating the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, the CARSA Community Peace Clubs have pledged to do activities that support genocide survivors.

Among the provided support included foodstuffs such as rice, maize flour, sugar, soap, and lotion to the most vulnerable genocide survivors' families in the community, they gave their hands to some people who were not able to cultivate their pieces of land on time because of some issues like windowing, sickness, elderly lower efforts, and others. As we are in the commemoration period the club also gave emotional support where they regularly gathered at one house of a genocide survivor and talked to that person as a sign of solidarity.

Adolphe Mutimutuje representative of UMUCYO (light) Clubs located in Muhanga sector that have organized the compassion activities “After getting the training on peacebuilding in CARSA, we have started doing some activities that aimed to support the needy people as much as we can. As we’re in the commemoration period, our support focused on the most vulnerable genocide survivors in our area. All club members collected to find foodstuffs for those people but because we did not have enough capacity, we preferred also to offer emotional support.  Here, we visited people and talked to them to free them from loneliness as well as to show them that despite losing their family members, we young people are here to take care of them,” Adolphe said.

Mukakarara Euginie, a window who lives in Muhanga Sector, Muhanga District, the same community where the Peace club operates, is a genocide survivor, and has lost many people during the genocide, and recently her husband also surprisingly died. This situation has totally chattered her emotionally and she cannot even go to work to feed her children and she is among people who got the support from this Peace club.  “I’m happy now for these young people who thought of me and came here with that essential supports,  including food and hygienic materials as well as helping me to dig my parcel, this shows me you’re angels from God, you have a compassionate heart. I cannot thank you enough but when you meet the representative of that organization (CARSA) that taught you how to help needy people like me and tell them that I appreciate them and Almighty God that directed you here,” Eugenie expressed.

Let us celebrate the younger generation who are discarding the divisive narratives of the past and embracing peace for a better future.