Organizations
Aegis Trust
This organization campaigns against crimes against humanity around the world, and runs the Kigali Memorial Centre in Rwanda (with Kigali City Council) and the Holocaust Memorial and Educational Centre in the UK. Aegis is dedicated to the prediction, prevention, and ultimately the elimination of genocide, and was founded by James Smith, M.D. and Stephen Smith, Ph. D.
Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village
Founded by Anne Heyman and Seth Merrin, this village provides orphaned and vulnerable youth, many of whom are survivors of the Rwandan genocide, with a safe and secure living environment, health care, education, and necessary life skills. It uses education and service to model and create socially responsible citizens in Rwanda and around the world. ASYV admits 125 students to its four-year residential program each January, and gives them all a far better than average high school education. It graduated its first class of 125 in January 2013.
Butaro Hospital
In January 2011, this new hospital opened its doors in northern Rwanda. The flagship 150-bed facility was built as part of the ongoing collaboration between Partners In Health and the government of Rwanda. With electronic access to educational resources and expert consultation, the hospital aims to be a leader in using information technology to aid patient care. In August 2013, the Butaro Ambulatory Cancer Center opened adjacent to Butaro Hospital, financed by Cummings Foundation.
Kigali Memorial Centre
Built on a site where more than 250,000 people are buried, this centre contains a permanent exhibition of the Rwandan genocide and a very worthwhile exhibition of other genocides around the world. It was opened in 2004 for the 10th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide.
Partners In Health (PIH)
Based in Boston, MA, PIH provides a preferential health care option for the poor through service delivery, training, research, and advocacy, and works globally to serve those most in need and provide an antidote to those in despair. Founded in 1987 by Dr. Paul Farmer, Thomas J. White, and Todd McCormack, PIH currently operates in Boston, Haiti, Peru, Rwanda, Lesotho, Malawi, Russia, and Kazakhstan, with partner projects in Guatemala, Mexico, Burundi, Mali, Liberia, and Nepal.
Rwanda Gift for Life
This organization strives to provide ways to address critical issues for genocide survivors, including balanced nutrition, trauma counseling, secure home conditions, school enrollment for children, sustainable economic independence, and physical, mental and emotional health.
Rwanda Travel Journal
Extensive notes with pictures by Joyce Cummings from her January 2012 journey through Rwanda.
Rwinkwavu Hospital
Launched in April 2005, this hospital was Partners In Health's first project in Rwanda. In addition to treating the ill, the staff provides knowledge and skills to improve their lives. Through a training center and garden, patients learn how to grow food on whatever plot of land they have, and are given seeds to get started.
UNICEF
Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF works for children's rights, their survival, development and protection. In Rwanda, UNICEF offers programs in health, nutrition, water sanitation, and hygiene as well as HIV and AIDS education.
Background Material
The Travesty of Human Rights Watch on Rwanda
In a well-informed, 54-page report, Richard Johnson, who reportedly served 23 years as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, goes into great detail rebutting perennial charges leveled by Human Rights Watch against President Paul Kagame.
The U.S. and the Genocide in Rwanda 1994
This National Security Archive sites offers several government documents regarding the Rwandan genocide. This independent non-governmental research institute and library collects and publishes declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
U.S. Department of State
A good resource for fact sheets, press releases, remarks, and more.
Yale - Genocide Studies Program
A list compiled by the Rwandan Genocide Project of articles and research that offer information about the genocide in Rwanda.
News/Media
In Rwanda, Health Care Coverage That Eludes the U.S.
The New York Times, July 3, 2012
Cummings Foundation has already donated $500,000 to help Rwandans
Kigali Today, June 1, 2012
Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village helps young Rwandans heal
Christian Science Monitor, May 22, 2012
Students from Rwanda’s Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village visit Massachusetts
Woburn Advocate, May 17, 2012
Hoping a trail leads to a tourist future
Boston Globe Travel, March 18, 2012
Africa's Singapore?
The Economist, February 25, 2012
James Nachtwey’s reflection on the Rwandan genocide
Time Magazine, April 6, 2011
Rwanda: How the genocide happened
BBC News, December 18, 2008
Ghosts of Rwanda
PBS - FRONTLINE
A special two-hour documentary to mark the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide examining the social, political, and diplomatic failures that converged to enable the genocide to occur.
Books
A Thousand Hills: Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It
By Stephen Kinzer
For anyone interested in the genocide in Rwanda, this book offers an enormous amount of historical information. This account of President Paul Kagame takes information from extensive interviews with Kagame and the people who know him, and tells the story of his path from a refugee and rebel organizer, to president of the land-locked nation. Kagame's firm policy on reconciliation without retribution in the post-genocide era is examined, as is the strict adherence to laws and maintenance of government free from corruption. Also included in the book is a robust background on Rwanda as a former Belgian colony, leading up to the 1994 genocide. Continue reading
Mountains Beyond Mountains The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
By Tracy Kidder
A compelling and inspiring book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, is the true story of Paul Farmer and his journey from a Harvard medical school student dedicated to curing infectious diseases and bringing lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need it most, to the founding of Partners in Health.
At the heart of Mountains Beyond Mountains is the example of a life based on hope and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb “Beyond mountains there are mountains”–as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.
Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness
By Tracy Kidder
This is the inspiring story of one man’s American journey and the ordinary people who help him, providing testament to the power of second chances. Having survived the civil war and genocide in Burundi, Deo arrives in the United States with two hundred dollars, no English and no contacts and goes on to attend Columbia University, medical school, and devote his life to healing.
Several Rwandan residents who had read Strength in What Remains reported that it gave a very accurate report of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, even though it principally portrayed conditions in Burundi. Continue reading
Baking Cakes in Kigali
A Novel By Gaile Parkin
A gloriously written little tale set in modern-day Rwanda, Baking Cakes in Kigali introduces one of the most singular and engaging characters in recent fiction: Angel Tungaraza—mother, cake baker and keeper of secrets. While living on the edge of chaos, her cake baking skills transform lives, weave magic, and create hope amid the madness swirling around her.