On Monday, all of the new volunteers were taken to Gizozi Memorial Centre to learn about the Genocide of 1994. There were exhibitions on the Rwandan Genocide and other Genocides which have happened in the world. The parting message was very clear; "Never Again". It was a difficult subject to learn about and some of the pictures / videos were very hard to look at but I think it is important to know what happened. I recommend any visitors to Rwanda to go there to learn more. As it is the period of commemoration at the moment, the torch was lit in the courtyard:
On Wednesday we met Jean-Pierre, a 22 year old National volunteer. He came to tell us about his work with VSO and the English club they have set up for Rwandan youths in Kigali. The youth in Rwanda today face many problems which were worsened by the Genocide. For example, caring for younger siblings where parents are no longer there, caring for family members with injuries, trauma and trying to find work having missed a lot of their education. On top of this there are gender issues and poverty. When talking about the Genocide-related issues, Jean-Pierre said "do not focus on what we did in the past, instead look at what we can do in the future".
On Wednesday evening, Coral and I went to the English club and met thirty (or so) young Rwandan people. They were very enthusiastic and enjoyed asking us questions in English. It was a lovely, positive experience which was very enjoyable after the difficult visit to Gizozi.
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