Rwandan boy in a graveyard. Storey, Andy. “Structural violence and the struggle for state power in Rwanda.” CADTM, 8 April 2019, https://www.cadtm.org/Structural-violence-and-the-struggle-for-state-power-in-Rwanda. Accessed 26 July 2023.
In just 100 days, 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis were ruthlessly murdered. That’s 8,000 per day, over 300 per hour, and 5 per minute. The Rwandan Genocide, spanning from April 6th to July 15th, 1994, was the most rapid genocide ever recorded and continues to haunt this East African nation.
Conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups existed long before the 1994 genocide. In 1959, the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi minority, driving tens of thousands of Tutsis out of the country. The Tutsis formed a rebel group called the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), who invaded Rwanda in 1990 and fought until 1993.1
On April 6th, 1994, then-president Juvenal Habyarimana (a Hutu) was shot down on his plane, resulting in his death and nationwide chaos. Hutu extremists then blamed the Tutsi RPF, ordering the slaughtering of the entire Tutsi population.
Children and young people under 24, who represented over half the casualties, experienced trauma that would impact them for the rest of their lives.2
For example, hate media convinced audiences that Tutsi children would become future threats. Even worse, children were mutilated, injured, tortured, raped, held captive, and forced to work as slaves. Some watched their parents and siblings die in front of their eyes. Based on their horrific experiences, it is no surprise that these children are still struggling today on both a mental and familial level.2
Hutus vandalize local infrastructure. Gourevitch, Philip. “The Silence: 25 Years Since the Rwandan Genocide - Gilles Peress - Magnum Photos.” Magnum Photos, 10 April 2019, https://www.magnumphotos.com/newsroom/conflict/gilles-peress-silence-25-years-since-rwandan-genocide/. Accessed 26 July 2023.
Many Rwandan genocide survivors have mental health problems such as depression and PTSD. In 2020, researchers conducted a random sampling of a post-genocide Rwandan population. Among the sampled, 25% were estimated to have PTSD. However, genocide survivors in particular showed a much higher prevalence at 37%. Regular citizens, on the other hand, showed only a 15% prevalence.3
Children also face familial instability in addition to psychological challenges. After the genocide, more than 100,000 children lived in orphanages, with foster families, or were forced to raise their younger siblings. In many cases, they had lost their homes and all assets belonging to their families.2
Aware of these issues, the Rwandan government created the Fund for Neediest Survivors of Genocide in Rwanda (FARG), which aimed to help children with education, health, and housing.2 However, children’s needs remain both large and complex: 23% of school-age children are out of school, 29% of children are engaged in child labor, 38% of children suffer from stunting due to malnutrition, and 68% of girls age 15 and older struggle to read and write.4 Although these issues are difficult to tackle, several organizations, such as Save the Children, are providing assistance. Save the Children is a global nonprofit that supported nearly 200 million children in 2021 alone. In Rwanda specifically, the organization supported 32,000 children in times of crisis, reunited over 40,000 families, protected 60,000 children from harm, and provided almost 90,000 children with a healthy start of life.
Children of Rwanda also seeks to assist Rwandan children in receiving adequate healthcare and a proper education. Many families are unable to afford school tuition, so their children cannot attend school. This organization seeks to solve this problem by working with individual families to create a new source of income (typically agricultural) so they can pay the costs of education and health insurance.5
It is important to help Rwandan children as the 1994 genocide has left its legacy for almost 30 years. The links to donate to Save the Children and Children of Rwanda are listed below.
Sources
1 “Rwanda genocide: 100 days of slaughter.” BBC, 4 April 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26875506. Accessed 26 July 2023.
2 Ruvugiro, Emmanuel Sehene. “Rwanda: The gruesome plight of children during the Tutsi genocide.” Justice Info, 11 October 2017, https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/34925-online-exhibition-pays-gruesome-tribute-to-child-suffering-in-rwandan-genocide.html. Accessed 26 July 2023.
3 “Burden of post-traumatic stress disorder in postgenocide Rwandan population following exposure to 1994 genocide against the Tutsi: A Meta-Analysis.” NCBI, 23 June 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7395874/. Accessed 26 July 2023.
4 “Donate to Help Children Living in Rwanda.” Save the Children, https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/rwanda. Accessed 26 July 2023.
5 Children Of Rwanda: Education & Healthcare For Rwandan Children, https://www.childrenofrwanda.org/. Accessed 26 July 2023.
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