On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying the Rwandan president was shot down, killing all onboard. This event triggered the beginning of one of the most swift and brutal genocides in world history. In the span of about 100 days, ethnic Hutus killed an estimated 800,000 Tutsi minorities, using mostly machetes and other crude weapons.

The 1994 genocide was the culmination of decades ethnic strife, driven by long-time cultural differences and ethnic divisions created by Belgian colonists. In the aftermath, some two million Hutus fled Rwanda to neighboring countries creating a refugee crisis. Continued conflict with the perpetrators of the genocide has resulted in hundreds of thousands of more deaths, mostly in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Humanity & Inclusion began working in Rwanda shortly after the end of the genocide in 1994. Between 1994 and 1996, HI provided emergency assistance to a population thrown into extreme distress. From 1996 to 2000, the situation in Rwanda was one of relative stability allowing HI to embark on longer-term initiatives, including projects to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people, particularly people living with HIV/AIDS. Since 2001, HI has broadened its activities to include community-based violence prevention, inclusive education, rehabilitation, prevention of sexual violence against children, and care for people living with epilepsy.

Support victims of the Rwandan genocide.

For 18 months, Longini was unable to walk; he had outgrown his artificial limbs and Covid-19 lockdowns prevented him from getting new ones. If he was going to get back on track, Longini needed replacements as soon as possible.

Longini, now 9, was born with lower limb deformities. When he was 3 months old, his mother, Elisabeth, took him to the nearest hospital, and he was referred to an orthopedic hospital in Ririma. As other children took their first steps, Longini was still unable to walk. When he was 3 years old, doctors performed a double amputation so he could wear artificial limbs later in life.

In between working odd jobs to support Longini and his younger brother, Elisabeth sought out educational opportunities for Longini. After years of searching, she found HVP-Gatagara—a leading center for the rehabilitation and education of people with disabilities in Rwanda. More than 30 miles from their home, the center includes an inclusive boarding school. At 6 years old, Longini was finally enrolled in school.

But Longini’s greatest dream was to learn to walk.

At nearly $900 each, artificial limbs are particularly expensive in Rwanda. Few patients can afford the assistance devices, including Longini’s family. Humanity & Inclusion stepped up to help. The complex housing Longini’s school also includes a rehabilitation center and orthopedic-fitting workshop supported by Humanity & Inclusion. For families unable to afford care, Humanity & Inclusion provides financial assistance.

Fitted with two custom-made artificial limbs, Longini took his first ever steps as a 7-year-old. In no time, he was running around and playing enthusiastically with his friends. His life changed completely.

As a growing boy, Longini regularly needs new artificial limbs. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic and the strict measures taken by the government to protect the population meant the orthopedic center had to close its doors. Longini outgrew his worn devices, and it was 18 months before he could be fitted with new ones in November 2021. Longini will need rehabilitation care and artificial limbs for the rest of his life.

‘A joy to watch him now’

Longini is in his second year of primary school, where he lives most of the time.

“When he comes home for the holidays, he can do small jobs around the house, like the dishes or sweeping the courtyard,” Elisabeth adds. “He loves being with other people, going out and running about the local streets with them. All children like him.”

A hard-working student, Longini repeatedly tells his mother he wants to finish his studies so he can get a good job, earn money and support his family.

“My son’s life hasn’t always been easy but it’s a joy to watch him now,” Elisabeth says. “It’s wonderful he’s included with other children. It’s so uplifting.”

Donate today

Become a monthly donor

Humanity & Inclusion is training refugees in the Congolese and Burundian camps on how to make money from waste materials.

Since 2016, Humanity & Inclusion teams in Rwanda have been strengthening environmental protection actions in Congolese and Burundian refugee camps by initiating an Appropriate Paper Technology (APT): 

This program helps community members transform waste paper, such as cardboard, into useful products that can be used for commercial purposes. Humanity & Inclusion also teaches them how to recycle waste paper to produce equipment for rehabilitation. 

Humanity & Inclusion has trained at least 210 refugees to manufacture rehabilitation equipment including special chairs, corner seats and standing frames. Refugees also produce chairs, stools, cupboards, ceilings, tables to build and equip their homes.

Thanks to the initiative, waste paper is better managed in the overcrowded camps and its impact on health and environment is reduced. It also creates an opportunity for families to generate income and improve their daily routine.

Image: A woman holds a piece of cardboard on a table while a man slices it with a box cutter in Rwanda in 2019. Copyright: Neil Thomas/HI

Humanity & Inclusion’s teams are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in Rwanda by distributing awareness-raising messages, handing out masks and food, providing online therapy sessions, and adapting online educational courses for students, particularly for those with disabilities.

Prevention and awareness

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on people living in Rwanda, where Humanity & Inclusion has worked since 1994.

Our teams have adapted activities where we operate, including refugee camps in the eastern province of Nyabiheke. We’re distributing awareness-raising messages on the risks of the virus and its transmission among refugees. In addition, we’re sharing information about how to protect oneself by washing hands, staying at home, and refraining from touching the face. Our teams are also distributing water basins, soap, and other hygiene items.  

Distribution of food

Humanity & Inclusion is distributing bags of flour to parents of children with disabilities in the Mahama refugee camp in Eastern Province to help prevent malnutrition. We also handed out food and protective masks to more than 330 families of people with epilepsy in Rubavu district.

Online therapy sessions

Our teams of psychologists have been conducting online counseling sessions which help provide psychological support to the many individuals who are affected by the lockdown.

Inclusive education at home

Schools in Rwanda have been closed since March 16, and will not reopen until September. Humanity & Inclusion’s inclusive education team is helping to promote access to school for children with disabilities by having school lessons broadcast on television, complete with sign language interpreters. We’re also supplying printed learning aids in Braille and in large print, so that students with visual disabilities can access materials. In addition, we developed lessons that are adapted to the needs of students with intellectual disabilities. These lessons are then broadcast on the radio and television.

Humanity & Inclusion works to protect the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, we're ensuring that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--to stay healthy. Learn more about our COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also had an impact on people living in Rwanda, where Humanity & Inclusion has worked since 1994. Our teams have adapted activities where we operate. In the district of Rutsiro, we're distributing food so that families have enough to eat during the lockdown. We’re also providing other supplies to help individuals protect themselves and their families from the coronavirus.

Humanity & Inclusion has also distributed bags of flour to parents of children with disabilities in the Mahama refugee camp in Eastern Province to help prevent malnutrition and to strengthen their immune systems.

At the end of May, we also provided food and protective masks to more than 330 families of people with epilepsy in the Rubavu district.

Humanity & Inclusion works to protect the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, we're ensuring that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--to stay healthy. Learn more about our COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

April 7th marks 25 years since the horrific genocide in Rwanda began. Men, women, and children were tortured, raped, and massacred over a period of three months and more than 800,000 people died. The deep scars left by this senseless violence continue to be felt today. Nearly one third of the population in Rwanda still deal with genocide-related post-traumatic stress disorder. And more than one in five people struggle with depression.

Humanity & Inclusion launched its response in Rwanda in the aftermath of the Tutsi genocide in 1994 and implemented its first mental health project in 1996, providing psychological support to children who had lost their parents. Today, our team continues to support the direct and indirect victims of the genocide. In 2018, more than 5,800 victims of violence took part in psychosocial activities to help overcome their trauma. 

HI will be working with mental health professionals, including psychologists, in conjunction with the National Mental Health Coordination Committee (Rwanda Biomedical Center - RBC) during the three-month commemoration period. Our team will prepare them to manage trauma crises and assist genocide victims at memorial sites.

“The after-effects are still felt today.”

“From day to day, people tend to bury and repress genocide-related trauma,” explains Chantal Umurungi, Humanity & Inclusion’s mental health and psychosocial support advisor in Rwanda. “During the commemoration period, memories, feelings, and emotions will resurface. The victims will confront their suffering.

“For some, it’s a crushing experience. People talk about it and it’s very powerful. Some people tell us ‘I didn't sleep at all last night. I saw the people I lost again and I couldn't close my eyes. They may relive panic attacks, the loss of loved ones, and so on.

“The after-effects are still felt today. It is essential people support each other in this difficult time. It is very liberating to share feelings. Group therapy allows people to confide in each other and share their experiences: I’ve been through the same thing as you. I’ll tell you what helped me. It's life-saving.”

Supporting victims for 25 years

Since 1996, Humanity & Inclusion has supported more than 25,000 victims of violence, including genocide-related violence, and implemented more than 46,000 psychosocial support sessions. Today, HI's response takes more of a community mental health approach. Our teams coordinate listening and discussion groups, where people can express themselves with support from a psychologist or community volunteers.

Small business projects

They are then converted into self-help groups to help people set up small business projects together, with support from HI, including small vegetable shops and livestock breeding. Taking part in a joint business venture gives them dignity and independence.

“The genocide’s impact on mental health has given rise to other indirect consequences such as drug use, high-risk sexual practices, violence, and marital conflicts.” Chantal adds. “This impoverishes families and weakens social ties. By proposing this approach to community mental health, allowing people to share their feelings and rebuilding bridges, HI wants to break the vicious cycle of violence and poorer mental health.”

Learn more about our work in Rwanda.

Photo: Olive, 50, was injured during the genocide. Sometimes she has so much pain that she can’t leave her bed. Today, she is selling fruits thanks to the rehabilitation care and economic support she receives from Humanity & Inclusion.

Violence affects one in three women in their lifetime. Globally, women with disabilities are ten times more likely to experience sexual violence. Over the next three weeks, Humanity & Inclusion will address the violence against women with disabilities at the 71st session of the Committee[1] on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, organized by the United Nations in Geneva from October 22 through November 9.

25 years of work

Humanity & Inclusion implements projects to address violence in six countries around the world[2] by raising women's awareness of their rights and helping them build self-reliance. In Rwanda, HI provides psychological support to victims of physical and sexual violence, including women, and organizes discussion groups. In Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya, our team works to combat sexual violence against children, including children with disabilities, who are three to four times more likely to be at risk of violence.

Making it Work

HI launched the Making it Work Gender and Disability project to promote good practices in order to eliminate violence against women and girls with disabilities. The aim is to ensure that women's voices are heard and that the risks they face (violence, abuse, and exploitation) are taken into account in the projects implemented by other organizations in the fields of humanitarian action, human rights, feminism, and gender-based violence.

Publications

Gender and disability intersectionality in practice: Women and girls with disabilities addressing discrimination and violence in Africa

In June 2018, Humanity & Inclusion's Making it Work project published the report, “Gender and disability intersectionality in practice: Women and girls with disabilities addressing discrimination and violence in Africa,” which presents nine best practices for women’s organizations in six African countries. Women leaders with disabilities presented the report at the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in New York. 

Protection Against Violence Based on Disability, Gender, Age (2018)

Humanity & Inclusion works to prevent violence based on disability, gender and age and its disabling consequences in development and fragile settings, as well as to provide holistic care for survivors of violence, exploitation and abuse. HI’s goal is to ensure that people with disabilities and other at-risk groups are less exposed to violence and can live in dignity, independently, and with control over their own lives. View the flier here.

[1]This committee is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

[2] Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Globally, 35% of women have experienced physical, emotional, or sexual violence in their lifetime. And women and girls with disabilities are nearly ten times more likely to experience sexual violence–a serious violation of their rights.

“Violence against women and girls with disabilities is invisible, poorly understood, and largely ignored,” explains Bénédicte de la Taille, Humanity & Inclusion’s protection from violence expert. 

Because of social and cultural norms, women do not always have the right to choose when it comes to their sexual and reproductive lives. Moreover, women with disabilities, who are sometimes dependent on other adults in their immediate circle, are even more vulnerable. Sexual violence causes many health problems, psychological trauma, and social and economic exclusion. De la Taille adds, “Our projects are essential to enable women with disabilities to rebuild their lives, break out of their isolation, and play a role in their communities. Ending this violence is a priority.”

For more than 25 years, Humanity & Inclusion has been implementing projects to combat violence around the world including raising women's awareness of their rights and empowering them to make decisions. In Rwanda, HI has been providing psychological support to victims of physical and sexual violence and setting up discussion groups since 1994. In Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya, our teams are working to combat sexual violence against children, including children with disabilities, who are three to four times more likely to be at risk of violence.

Making it Work

HI works with disabled people’s organizations and women's rights organizations as part of our Making it Work partnership in order to increase the visibility of innovative best practices (training women, awareness-raising activities, and so on) related to the protection of women's rights. Our aim is to ensure that women's voices are heard and that the risks they face (violence, abuse, and exploitation) are taken into account in the projects implemented by numerous organizations (humanitarian, human rights, and the fight against gender-based violence).

Handicap International’s Ubuntu Care project combats sexual violence against children, particularly children with disabilities, in Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda. Below, Regional Coordinator Sofia Hedjam describes the program and its achievements. Launched in November 2012, it has already provided care and treatment to 600 child victims of sexual violence.

Anne-Clarisse, 27, is one of the many survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis being helped through Handicap International’s mental health program in Rwanda. Below, she tells her story.