Soldier on, First Lady tells Genocide widows

The resilience of Genocide windows is what makes them heroines, First Lady Jeannette Kagame has said. The First Lady was yesterday speaking as she joined the association of Genocide widows (Avega) in marking the end of 100 days of mourning as well as inauguration of 40 new houses constructed in Mageragere Sector in Nyarugenge District for widows of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. “Against all odds, you stood strong and carried the burden of our country; you are the people who were subjected to all forms of evil during Genocide, but you still live,” Mr Kagame told the Genocide widows. “Although we, Rwandans, were liberated from a genocidal government, the struggle continues; we have to live and live a good life.” The First Lady also told the widows that no one can replace the relatives they had lost but that government would always support them in every endeavour. “For those who received the houses, you are coming in as new neighbours to those that lived here before. Be a good neighbour and comfort each other,” she said. The construction of furnished houses was funded by Fund for Genocide Survivors (Farg), the National Bank of Rwanda, Imbuto Foundation, Nyarugenge District and the Rwanda Defence Reserve Force. Commemorating for compassion Speaking on the importance of the commemoration period, Avega Executive Secretary Oddette Kayirere said: “When we commemorate, we remember our loved ones and by remembering, we bring them back to life. “This comforts our hearts broken by the loss of our children, husbands and relatives brutally murdered in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It also helps us to move forward and build a brighter future together.” She said Avega has, since establishment, lost about 6,000 members who succumbed to different post-Genocide stress syndromes, leaving behind orphans that need to be cared for. Those receiving houses will also benefit from assistance programmes. Under the Basic Support Programme, survivors will receive furnished houses, complete with furniture and other household items such as kitchenware, cleaning materials and food as a living start-up. Through the Long-term Assistance Programme, survivors will receive assistance in starting small investments projects such as cattle rearing. One of the beneficiaries, Deborah Mundama, narrated the journey of her life and how her six children and husband were killed as well as her siblings. “After the Genocide, I lost hope; I thought everyone hated me, but today I feel loved and getting a house is a gesture that someone really cares about me and wants me to live,” she said. The two-bedroom housing units were constructed to the standards of the city master plan at a cost of Rwf13 million per house.