First Lady Mrs Jeannette Kagame has said that the fact that the Association of Students Survivors of Genocide (AERG) has celebrated the 25th anniversary of its existence is a milestone in Rwanda’s history. 

She made the remarks on Saturday, November 6, 2021, at Intare Arena Conference as she joined other Rwandans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of AERG and the 18th anniversary of the Rwandan Graduates Genocide Survivors (GAERG).

She said that the anniversary offers hope for a bright future.

During the period in which AERG was born, Rwanda was like a desolate territory, while children were almost defenseless, she said, thanking the founders of the association.

"When RPF liberated Rwanda in 1994, many who were looking at us from afar thought that Rwanda would cease to exist. There are even some who advised us that Rwanda could be better off by splitting it into two countries (Hutu land and Tutsi land),” she said.

The First Lady also said that even Rwandans themselves could not understand how a country that lost more than a million people, with all of its social fabric torn, no security or hope for living, could recover e.

"Self-sacrifice, self-acceptance and co-existing with those who murdered your families, became a bitter remedy, but it produced fruits that built a strong country,” she told the members of AERG and GAERG.

Those fruits, she said, also foster Ubunyarwanda – Rwandan identity - "that we place above all.”  

"You, therefore, have a mission to safeguard the Rwandan identity. Let us all continue working together so that we put in place effective mechanisms to tell our descendants about the Genocide against Tutsi and build our unity,” she said.

Today, she said, some members of AERG and GAERG are business operators, employees in different public and private sectors and parents.

She said that striving for living and having a decent life, taking care of one another in ‘families’ that they created [under their associations], was a lasting remedy to the problems they faced.

Looking at the result from the solutions that Rwandans got from the uniqueness of their culture and way of life, she said it is a patrimony that should be written in history.

She advised them to shun anyone who incites hatred among them.

Meanwhile, she promised support to the associations in their pursuit  for "building the Rwanda we want."

She also promised support to tackle trauma among Genocide survivors.

AERG Coordinator, Emmanuel Muneza thanked the Government for supporting the survivors’ education through school fees, among others, pointing out that, some of them were orphans who could not afford education cost.

He indicated that they started AERG-GAERG Week activities with aim to prepare Genocide survivors and Rwandans in general entre the commemoration period without panic.

"During this programme, we have built houses for 38 families [of Genocide Survivors], donated 67 Inka z’Ineza [cows of kindness] in line with thanking those who hid Tutsi during the Genocide and those [soldiers] disabled during the battle to save us,” he said.

Originally, AERG was founded as a support mechanism for genocide orphans studying at secondary and higher institutions. However, its role expanded to advocate for the ongoing needs of survivors, supporting them in education, with economic issues and onwards towards a productive life.

AERG was created in 1996 at former National University of Rwanda by 12 students.

 Currently, AERG is represented nationally at some 44 Universities and institutes of higher learning and 475 secondary schools in Rwanda, with a total country-wide membership of over 43,000 members.