If we think the British economy is going to take a long time to recover from the current economic crisis, we should spare a thought for Rwanda, where earlier this month, national commemorations were held to mark the 15th anniversary of the start of the 1994 genocide.
Over the course of 100 days from 7 April 1994, around a million children, women and men were slaughtered in Rwanda simply because they were Tutsi. Hutus opposed to the onslaught were also killed. The international community knew what was happening and the media reported on it, but nothing was done to intervene.
Rwanda emerged from that cataclysm a nation in ruins, yet today, despite the trauma of the past, its people are rebuilding and its economy is growing. More children are at school than ever before, and there are more women in parliament than in any other nation.
However, thousands of survivors whose homes, means of living, loved ones and whole communities were taken away from them are still suffering the economic and material consequences of the genocide fifteen years on.
With this in mind, a new initiative – ‘candles4rwanda.org’ – has been launched this month to help them. Backed by public figures including Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan and Tony Blair, and by Hollywood stars such as Forest Whitaker, Clive Owen and Natalie Portman, who have all lit candles on camera in support of the campaign, it offers people everywhere the chance to help destitute survivors put their lives back on track.
And for every contribution given, a candle is lit on the donor’s behalf at the Kigali Memorial Centre in Rwanda’s capital, where over 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide lie buried, sending a powerful visual message to survivors that they and their loved ones are not forgotten.
“One of the most important things that the survivors of the genocide expressed to me was their need for a global campaign to support Rwanda during this time of reconstruction,” says actress Scarlett Johansson, who recently visited the Kigali Memorial Centre. “It really is a community that is thriving, yes, and is finding its own identity, but is a very fragile society that has known the most nightmarish hell…. I think when you’ve seen the darkest depths of humanity, you have an appreciation for life that is indescribable.”
For survivors, the extended family – so important as a social safety net in Rwanda, as in many countries – is not there to turn to because in many cases all or nearly all of their relatives were killed. As a result, some survivors have been forced onto the street, into begging or even into prostitution.
‘Candles for Rwanda’ is intended to help change all that. And survivors such as Anne-Marie show just how far a little support can go. Widowed, gang-raped and left HIV-positive, her baby was killed in her arms during the genocide. Thanks to a little support, today she is able to work and provide a home for her surviving son, Patrick.
A restaurant owner before the genocide, like thousands of other survivors across Rwanda’s capital, she never wanted to become a charity case. All she ever needed was a little support to provide her with the opportunity to help herself; a little human kindness to restore her faith in humanity.
Today, after fifteen years, she can at last smile again. “Thank you,” she says simply. “You have given me hope that I can continue living.”
To find out more about ‘Candles for Rwanda’, see www.candles4rwanda.org. UK readers can also support the initiative by texting ‘CANDLES’ to 82010 to donate £5.00 instantly (normal network rates apply).