As we step into the month of April, we are faced with the anniversary of the atrocities that besieged Rwanda 18 years ago. In a matter of months, Rwanda’s world was drastically changed and would be forever changed.
The people of Rwanda continue to grapple with the effects of the 1994 genocide. After the 100-day massacre of nearly 1 million Tutsi and Hutu peoples, the country and society were left in ruins. In only 100 days, 20 percent of the country’s population was completely annihilated.
In the devastating aftermath, widows, children, and even the genocide perpetrators themselves all suffered as they coped with the memories of lost families, homes, and friends. The idea of healing seemed impossible for this devastated country.
But today, Rwanda is experiencing restoration.
World Help’s role in Rwanda is one of rebuilding. We seek to bring healing by meeting physical needs and investing in developmental projects that directly impact those who were tormented by the genocide.
One important way we build toward a healthy Rwanda is by investing in its children. Child sponsorship has been crucial in restoring these young lives who have been affected in some way.
We partner with organizations that provide these children with access to basic necessities, medical care, and a quality education. Through sponsorship, they can look forward to futures filled with opportunity and hope.
Sponsors are giving children in Rwanda hope for a bright future
We also believe in empowering women—the nation’s caretakers. After the genocide, many women were left with absolutely nothing. Their homes were completely destroyed, and their husbands were brutally murdered. Without anyone to support them, they were suddenly forced to provide for entire families alone, while also dealing with the anguish of the genocide.
Justine is just one of the women whose life has been restored.
After many years of struggling to provide for her family, Justine has now received skill-based training through a vocational school in Rwanda. She mastered the skill of plumbing and is even the instructor of plumbing at the school. She is also a contractor for several construction companies throughout Rwanda. Justine’s life has been transformed through the hope her new vocation provides.
Supporters like you are transforming the lives of women in Rwanda
World Help also invests in women through a widow’s village in Kaboga, Rwanda, where single mothers and their children have a place of stability to call home. Dedicated supporters of World Help have provided these families with a clean-water well, livestock, and other developmental projects. These projects are simple physical resources, but they help to rebuild lives and change futures.
Instead of simply sympathizing with Rwanda’s ongoing pain, World Help is dedicated to restoring those who have suffered for many years. By working urgently to support Rwanda through physical and spiritual aid, we are providing help for today . . . hope for tomorrow.
You can provide Rwandans and other people in need with help and hope
Over the coming weeks, we desire to highlight the nation of Rwanda, its people, and its development through our blog. In an effort to move past simply recalling the terror of the genocide, we aim to focus on the hope and restoration the country of Rwanda is receiving today.
To learn more about how you can provide help and hope to people in Rwanda and around the world, click the button below.