Peace building and Other Areas in Rwanda

Peace building and on the Gacaca Courts in Rwanda

ORGANIZATIONS THAT FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON
PEACE BUILDING AND RECONCILIATION IN RWANDA

African Great Lakes Initiative Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities (HROC)
http://www.aglionline.org/sub/trauma.htm

AGLI is just developing its program which takes groups of people from both sides of the conflict (Hutu and Tutsi) and engages them in a three-day workshop meant to restore normal relationships between the two sides. Currently, they will be conducting five workshops in Cyangugu for students and faculty of a school there where many of the students display symptoms of deep trauma and are doing experimental workshops in Ruhengeri with the goal of determining how the community can sustain itself in its individual and community healing process. The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), conducts 20 workshops in the "hot-spot" area of Nyamata. With AVP-Goma and AVP-Rwanda, AGLI will conduct international AVP workshops with half the participants from Goma, Congo and half from Gisenyi, Rwanda. AGLI will continue the workcamps with Rwanda Yearly Meeting building classrooms for the street children's program. In the past AGLI also trained Gacaca judges.
AVP Approach | 2006 Projects and Completed Projects

African Great Lakes Initiative Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities (HROC)
http://www.caux.ch/afr/activities.php (under Great Lakes Region of Africa)

The purpose of the AFR Rwanda initiative is to enhance the reconciliation process in Rwanda and the Great Lakes region. In January 2001 in Kigali, a Creators of Peace conference, used the Franco-German example and the video For the Love of Tomorrow to focus on the role of women in peace-building. Once a month a group of genocide survivors brings food they have prepared to inmates (implicated in the genocide) in the prison hospital. A working relationship has developed with Kigali Independent University where a week-long conflict resolution/reconciliation workshop was held in April 2001, marking the anniversary of the 1994 genocide.

Catholic Relief Services: Local Initiatives for Peace
http://www.crs.org/our_work/where_we_work/overseas/africa/rwanda/peace.cfm

Local Initiatives for Peace (LIP) supports small-scale initiatives that encourage tolerance, mutual understanding and Peace building. The fund supports a wide array of activities, which serve to not only address poverty, but to bring people together. LIP provides small grants to local associations such as survivors' groups, orphans, widows/ers, women's groups and churches, and provides them with training in project management, conflict resolution, and other capacity strengthening skills. Funds have been used by demobilized soldiers to purchase fishing equipment, by a Batwa community to purchase school uniforms to help reduce stigmatization, and by an association of genocide widows to build each other's homes.

Federation of African Women's Peace Networks (FERFAP)
http://www.hri.ca/organizations/viewOrg.asp?ID=8444 (description and contacts)

The objectives of Networks are to: create an institutional framework of women's peace movements to participate in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts; to coordinate and rationalise the development of activities aimed at the participation of women in the field of conflict prevention, management and resolution and the consolidation of peace in Africa, to act as a network for its members, provide information to the general public and governmental organisations; to promote the protection and rights of refugees and internally displace peoples, to promote the work of the African Women's Peace organisations; to cultivate and promote principles of democracy and good governance, to promote a culture of peace in Africa, and to participate and advocate for equal participation of women at local, national, and regional level in the prevention of conflict and maintenance of peace in Africa.

Friends Peace House (listed as a current working organization by field contact)
http://www.friendspeacehouse.rw/about.html

Activities are wide and varied but focus primarily on building the capacities of leaders, the state, grassroots associations, civil society institutions, and the general population of Rwanda to respond to situations of conflict and violence in their homes and communities. In 2004, the Alternatives to Violence Project trained more than 1300 village-court judges, teaching them listening and conflict resolution skills. Women in Dialogue brings together women survivors of the genocide and women whose husbands have been imprisoned for genocide-related crimes to participate in a series of seminars about trauma healing and conflict resolution. In our Women's Rights programmes, we teach women to assert their rights, challenging traditions that deny them inheritance rights and force them to remarry after their husband dies. Our Youth Department currently supports twenty-five youth associations working for peace, health, and human rights in their local communities.

National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (Government of Rwanda)
http://www.nurc.gov.rw/eng/presentationen.htm

"Since it was established by the government of national unity, NURC has strived to become a platform where Rwandans of all social conditions can meet and discuss the real problems of the Nation, especially those related to unity and reconciliation, culture of peace, tolerance, justice, democracy and development. The main justification of NURC is educational function at the service of the Communities."

Never Again (listed by contact in the field)
http://www.mdonkin.f2s.com/neveragain/index.php/Never_Again:About

Never Again, an international youth network, was founded at the Institute for International Mediation and conflict Resolution's 2001 Symposium at The Hague. Never Again, a group of students and young graduates from around the world, created a collaborative international partnership. Never Again aims to alert the international community to both the causes and effects of genocide and facilitate the exchange of ideas between young people - those who have lived through genocide and those who wish to learn from them. Never Again aims to provoke ideas and action for the prevention of future conflict by bringing people together to cross borders. (There are not specific programs listed, but they do organize trips for international youths to come to Rwanda and learn about the genocide and work with Rwandan youth- see the link below) Never Again partners with Global Youth Connect:
http://www.globalyouthconnect.org/country_rwanda_program.html

Norwegian Church Aid: Rwanda's women peacemakers
http://english.nca.no/article/view/5995/1/462 (not a direct link, just an article about NCA)

The main area of intervention for Norwegian Church Aid in Rwanda is reconciliation. Norwegian Church Aid, through its partners, has sought to address reconciliation by identifying and dealing with the root causes of the genocide, which include illiteracy and poverty. Additionally, Norwegian Church Aid has supported programmes that contribute toward the achievement of lasting and sustainable peace. In all these, the role of women in reconciliation and societal healing has been recognised. Norwegian Church Aid and partners are urging women to convince their relatives and the community at large to fully participate in the Gacaca courts.

Oxfam Ireland
http://www.oxfamireland.org/overseas_work/countries/rwanda.shtml

Oxfam Ireland in partnership with Oxfam Great Britain, has supported Peacebuilding and National Reconciliation work in Rwanda since 2002. Oxfam works at grass roots level with individual communities training key representatives in conflict management skills. The community's Njyanama (a council of all adult community members) is then offered a poverty reduction grant. Through the process of discussing how best to use this for the benefit of the community, issues arise, conflicts are dealt with and the community learns and 'practices' how to work better together for the common good.

Search for Common Ground- Radio and Peacebuilding
http://www.radiopeaceafrica.org/index.cfm?lang=en

Activities are wide and varied but focus primarily on building the capacities of leaders, the state, grassroots associations, civil society institutions, and the general population of Rwanda to respond to situations of conflict and violence in their homes and communities. In 2004, the Alternatives to Violence Project trained more than 1300 village-court judges, teaching them listening and conflict resolution skills. Women in Dialogue brings together women survivors of the genocide and women whose husbands have been imprisoned for genocide-related crimes to participate in a series of seminars about trauma healing and conflict resolution. In our Women's Rights programmes, we teach women to assert their rights, challenging traditions that deny them inheritance rights and force them to remarry after their husband dies. Our Youth Department currently supports twenty-five youth associations working for peace, health, and human rights in their local communities.

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ORGANIZATIONS THAT FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON
PEACE BUILDING AND OTHER AREAS IN RWANDA

African Leadership And Reconciliation Ministries, Inc. (ALARM)
http://www.alarm-inc.org/alarm/genesis.asp?id=62&mnu=62

Youth projects: Anti-HIV Club, Tailoring Project, Skills training (teaching boys welding), agriculture (plum project). For women they have leadership seminars and projects supporting economic empowerment.

Association of Genocide Widows (AVEGA) (listed by contact in the field)
http://www.avega.org.rw/english.html

AVEGA has been working to empower widows to deal with their past experiences and to rebuild their shattered lives. A number of programmes have been established for this purpose:

• Psychosocial and medical programmes, which have resulted in the installation of a medical centre at the central office in Kigali , as well as an extensive counselling service;
• Various capacity building programmes, which aim to improve the living conditions of AVEGA members, and which includes a micro-credit programme;
• Advocacy, Information and Justice programmes, which aim to ensure the rights of the individual.

CARE: Civil Society Support Program
http://www.care.org/careswork/projects/RWA064.asp

The goal of the SNC Project is to improve the economic and social viability of new communities in Muvumba, Gabiro and Kahi communes of Umutara Province. The project will contribute to poverty reduction, civil society strengthening and peace consolidation for approximately 46 women CBOs and women councils. This project supports and encourages the participation of women as decision-makers and managers of community projects and income generating activities, and as recipients of project assistance. Women groups and councils were involved in the process of assessing the communities' needs from the initial stages of project development, and will be involved in planning, implementing and evaluating the selected sub-projects. The women themselves will identify, plan, implement and monitor activities under each component in their respective communities.

Christian Aid
http://www.christianaid.org.uk/world/where/eagl/rwandap.htm

Christian Aid has worked in Rwanda since the 1963. They support 13 local partner organisations. Work focuses on: agricultural rehabilitation, peace and human rights, health education, especially HIV/AIDS emergency relief and small business loans. Also see partner: www.collectif.org.rw/CLADHO/Home.htm

Concern Worldwide: Education in Rwanda
http://www.concernusa.org/ourwork/programs.asp?pid=49

Education is the key to Rwanda's future and over the past nine years, Concern has been actively involved in a number of educational development programs ranging from construction and rehabilitation of schools to expanding existing facilities, training teachers and creating awareness of the concept of child care. In 2005 Concern will focus on parent teacher associations and will research, develop and distribute models focused on creating parent/school partnerships, as well as getting the poorest children involved with primary education.

Genocide Survivors Fund
http://www.survivors-fund.org.uk/projects/index.htm

SURF focuses its efforts and attention on the followings primary areas of concentration: HIV/AIDS, Psychosocial Support Projects, Education/Vocational Training, Income Generating Activities, Shelter, and Legal Assistance/Advocacy. Through a USAID grant, more than $3 million has gone to pay the school fees and related costs for more than 7,500 secondary-school children orphaned by the genocide. The Kigali Institute of Education launched four Distance Learning Centers funded by USAID where secondary school teachers can receive in-service training through computer-assisted learning in order to become fully qualified to teach.

GTZ
http://www.gtz.de/en/weltweit/afrika/ruanda/3356.htm

GTZ is implementing the following programmes and projects in Rwanda: Democracy, civil society and public administration, support for decentralization, support for reintegrating ex-combatants, food security and structural stability in southern Rwanda, and support for democratisation and reconciliation.

Rwandan Women Community Development Network (RWN)
http://www.rwandawomennetwork.org

RWN is a leading advocate for grassroots women's rights and a significant player in Rwandan civil society. In addition to holistic empowerment and support programs for women and children living in poverty, with HIV/AIDS and the trauma of violence and rape, RWN coordinates information-sharing meetings for CBOs, spearheading efforts to document and publicize grassroots activities. RWN works to expand the networking and capacity-building opportunities provided to grassroots community initiatives. Also listed under American Jewish World Service: http://www.ajws.org/index.cfm?section_id=3&page_id=493

World Vision: The Karaba Project
http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/projects.nsf/ProjectsID/173095?OpenDocument

Current projects address education, healthcare, shelter and water issues including projects such as: conducting personal development workshops for 100 community members who desire for their emotional healing and spiritual and relational reconciliation and facilitating an inter-church peace building.

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ORGANIZATIONS THAT FOCUS ON
PEACE BUILDING AND ON THE GACACA COURTS IN RWANDA

American Friends Service Committee
http://www.afsc.org/africa/int/ceafrica.htm (Recent Work in the Great Lakes Region)

Since 2000 AFSC has supported a number of grassroots projects in the Great Lakes Region primarily with African Quakers. AFSC supported the first 3 Alternatives to Violence Program (AVP) trainings of Gacaca judges as well as the training of a corps of trauma healing trainers in Burundi and Rwanda. In the past, AFSC also created the space for interfaith dialogues to promote healing and reconciliation and supported the learning visits of the Rwanda peace and reconciliation commission to South Africa to dialogue with those who developed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In 2004, AFSC's facilitated the participation of partners in Central Africa in training sessions and consultations relating to small arms control, gender and peace building, and development of youth organizations with the Africa Youth Initiative Network (AYINET).

International Alert
http://www.international-alert.org/our_work/regional/great_lakes/rwanda.php?page=work&ext=rcagl&rc=rc

International Alert has been working in Rwanda since 1996. IA focuses on peacebuilding and partners with Profemmes Twesehamwe, the main umbrella group for women's organisations in Rwanda, with over 40,000 members based all over the country. A Rwanda-wide peacebuilding network has been established which is working to resolve local conflicts and promote reconciliation.

Justice and reconciliation - the Gacaca Process
http://www.international-alert.org/our_work/regional/great_lakes/gacaca_process.php

In 2003, International Alert and ProFemmes Twesehamwe began a massive awareness raising campaign in an effort to make sure that women play a major role in the Gacaca system. The aim was to show women how the specific problems that they have faced since the conflict, such as dealing with widowhood or coping with the trauma of rape, will only be addressed if they take part in the trials. To do this, ProFemmes has publicised the process by producing programmes for radio and television and publishing articles in magazines. They have provided training for women judges and also trained community leaders on the process.

International Rescue Committee: Good Governance Program
http://www.theirc.org/where/african_great_lakes_rwanda_programs.html

The Good Governance and Reconciliation program promotes citizen participation in public affairs and peace building initiatives in the communities. New approaches under the Good Governance and Reconciliation program include civic education, town hall meetings, community radio, reconciliation activities, and strengthening the capacity of women and vulnerable youth and children to participate and take on leadership roles. The IRC also provides technical support to the Rwanda National Unity and Reconciliation Commission in order to monitor the gacaca community justice system dealing with genocide crimes, the decentralization process, and the challenging land and resettlement reforms. The mission of the Commission is to prevent resurgence of ethnic divisionism and to promote social harmony in the communities and throughout the nation.

The Hirondelle News Agency
http://www.hirondelle.org/hirondelle.nsf/caefd9edd48f5826c12564cf004f793d/6126099d740f8620c125659a0056d1de?OpenDocument

The Hirondelle News Agency in Arusha (Tanzania) has covered since 1996 all major judiciary events related to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, mainly the proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), but also the gacaca tribunals and the trials conducted according to classic justice procedures in Rwanda. Also see Internews efforts: http://www.internews.org/regions/africa/justice_rwanda_overview.htm

The Lutheran World Federation
http://www.lutheranworld.org/What_We_Do/DWS/Country_Programs/DWS-Rwanda-DRC.html

The DWS program in Rwanda began in August 1994 with emergency aid to victims and internally displaced persons after the genocide. From 1999, the program shifted to the empowerment of vulnerable communities to achieve self-sufficiency. An integrated approach emphasized capacity building of local partners and community based organizations, and addressed crosscutting issues of HIV/AIDS, the environment, peace and reconciliation, and emergency preparedness. With the start up of the Gacaca courts and release of prisoners, the DWS program is supporting partners to establish community based counseling services and structures for conflict resolution, aimed at promoting healing and reducing the renewed trauma that prisoner release could cause. Strong support continues for partners, especially churches, in HIV/AIDS awareness raising and advocacy against stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Trauma Research, Education and Training Institute (TREATI): Advancing Healing and Reconciliation and Preventing Retraumatization
http://www.heal-reconcile-rwanda.org/

Provided training and resources to promote healing among genocide survivors, reconciliation between groups, and understanding of the origins of genocide to prevent retraumatization during the Gacaca process.

USAID: Democracy and Governance Team
http://www.usaid.gov/press/factsheets/2004/fs040405.html

USAID's Democracy and Governance Team helped the Rwandan Ministry of Justice complete a nationwide computer network system connecting 18 sites, including the central Ministry, Attorney General's Office and Gacaca headquarters with provincial prosecutor offices. USAID assists SERUKA, an organization that has helped promote the role of women in both community reconciliation and justice in post-conflict Rwanda. As a result, women were elected to serve as judges on Gacaca, Rwanda's grassroots war crime trials held at the village level. USAID provided nearly $800,000 for material support of the Gacaca jurisdictions, provided ethics training to justice sector officials, accountants, lawyers and police cadets.

For a list of contact info for NGO's in Rwanda focused on women and children, see:
http://www.peacewomen.org/contacts/africa/rwanda/rwa_index.html#ngo

Contact in the field also listed these organizations as having a significant presence, though not directly focusing on peace building.

Oxfam - Great Britain
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/where_we_work/rwanda.html

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
http://www.adra.org/site/PageServer?pagename=work_where_africa

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