Staff and Supporters Embarking on Mission to Rwanda This April

A special delegation of staff and supporters of the USC Shoah Foundation will visit Rwanda this April during the 20th commemoration of the Rwanda Tutsi Genocide to learn about the Institute’s work in Rwanda, reinforce their commitment, and share the experience with others.

The mission to Rwanda (April 1-8) follows the Institute’s highly received mission to Hungary and Poland in fall 2013. The delegation will be made up of USC Shoah Foundation’s senior leadership, supporters, partners and colleagues, and will commemorate USC Shoah Foundation’s 20th anniversary as well as the 20th anniversary of the Rwanda Tutsi Genocide.

The mission’s aim is to provide engagement with a focus on personal stories, testimony and USC Shoah Foundation’s grassroots work in Rwanda through its partnership with Aegis Trust and the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center.

The delegation will visit Rwandan memorial sites and museums to learn more about the history of the genocide and also the history of Rwanda itself, to understand its efforts to re-build society and the country as a whole.  

USC Shoah Foundation’s work in Rwanda dates back to 2007 and has been focused on archive building and education. On the mission, the delegation will learn about USC Shoah Foundation’s role in helping to build a Genocide Archive of Rwanda, hear about the integration, launch, and plans for expansion of the Rwanda Testimony Collection in the Visual History Archive, and experience the use of Holocaust and Rwandan testimonies with Rwandan students using IWitness.  The participants will also have a chance to learn about the work of the Rwandan Peace Education Program to reach youth, educators, and the public around a variety of activities and programs throughout the country.

The delegates will also engage in meaningful conversation with Rwandan Tutsi Genocide survivors and eyewitnesses, meet with Rwandan leaders, dignitaries and colleagues involved in promoting peace and social cohesion, and meet with members of the National Commission Against Genocide.

To experience Rwanda’s awe-inspiring natural landscape, the mission will also include a gorilla trek. The week will culminate with Rwanda’s official genocide commemoration ceremony, which the delegates will attend as special guests.