End of the Genocide Events
16 Sep 2008
Hope Survivors Foundation marked the 14th anniversary of the end of the Rwandan genocide on 19th July. The programme was launched with a special evening with Ben Rurabana and his group from France, a mark of solidarity for survivors to remember the loves ones lost, a place of reflection and learning for the wider UK community.
The event celebrated the diversity of our community through music, drama, presentations and testimonies.
This served as a launch pad for further events through the course of the year including a residential weekend seminar to explore the needs/support required by survivors, a visiting tour to the Holocaust centre, producing a CD of testimonies, putting in place collective social structures which offer group therapy.
Survivors were keen to mark the 14th anniversary of the end of the genocide, and to tell their stories in the hope that their individual plight is recorded and understood and to ensure that genocide is not repeated in any other country.
Having lost entire families in the genocide, survivors were keen to encourage initiatives which bring people together in a show of solidarity and empathy as this builds self esteem, helps to nurture new trust in the world, and leads to greater understanding between cultures.
Survivors are witnesses in the world to crimes against humanity. They have requested that HSF gives them the platform to make their voices heard.
HSF would like to convey our sincere appreciation and gratitude to everyone for taking time out of their busy schedule to attend our events.
We would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and extent our deep thanks to the National Lottery and Amba Forwarding Company to have sponsored and made the events such a success.
