Ubumuntu Digital Platform, an online educational portal that will support the delivery and expansion of the Peace and Values Education programmes in Rwanda and beyond will be launched officially at the Kigali Genocide Memorial - Peace School on Thursday.
The platform will be launched by the Rwanda Education Board and Aegis Trust, a global organisation with a mission to prevent future genocides and promote humanity.
At the request of the Government of Rwanda and the City of Kigali, Aegis established the Kigali Genocide Memorial in 2004 and continues to run it on behalf of National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) as a place both of remembrance and learning.
In 2009, Aegis Trust developed an innovative education methodology breaking cycles of hatred, preventing violence and strengthening social bonds, including reducing symptoms of trauma which have now been adopted across the curriculum in Rwanda.
According to a statement, Ubumuntu Digital Platform is a result of the effort by the Ministry of Education to integrate peace and values education into the new National Competence-Based-Curriculum (CBC) as a cross-cutting issue.
The platform has been designed for key various users, including teachers, youth, students, parents and decision-makers who will benefit from this platform’s curated interactive contents, practical education and creative stories.
"The platform is indeed designed to help them acquire skills and attitudes about peace and positive values that will influence them in making a change towards sustainable peace in their communities,” reads the statement in part.
The implementation of Education for Sustainable Peace in Rwanda (ESPR) started on July 2016 as part of the newly adopted curriculum.
"We believe that the digitisation of the Teaching and Learning Materials about Peace and Values Education through the Ubumuntu Digital Platform will hugely contribute to the integration and supported application of Peace and Values Education in our schools.
I encourage teachers and indeed parents and youth to use this platform extensively and share their learning outcomes and success stories,” said Dr. IrénéeNdayambaje, the Director General of Rwanda Education Board.
According to Freddy Mutanguha, Aegis Executive Director, for the last ten years, Aegis Trust has reached thousands of people through the Peace and Values Education training at the Kigali Genocide Memorial - Peace School.
"Taking our Peace and Values Education model online is going to help us even reach many Rwandans, thus impact millions of lives. Our bigger vision is to continue to expand and take this platform beyond Rwanda to help communities in crisis today to overcome hatred, discrimination and build sustainable peace,” he said.