Rwandan genocide widow takes message of hope to No 10

Odette Kayirere

A widow of the Rwandan genocide has completed her two-week speaking tour of Catholic parishes and schools with a visit to 10 Downing Street.

The Prime Minister David Cameron invited Odette Kayirere, 54, to meet his officials at the end of her trip, organised by CAFOD as part of their campaign to get parishes and schools to develop relationships with communities in the developing world.

Odette is a founder member of Rwandan widows' organisation AVEGA, established to support the tens of thousands of women and children left widowed and orphaned after the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Odette lost her husband and most of her family in the genocide, and has dedicated herself to helping other widows ever since.

During her meeting at Downing Street, Odette talked about her own experiences during the genocide: "I escaped death many times. It's why I find a meaning for my survival today. After the genocide, life made no sense, I lost all hope. I soon realised that I wasn't the only one in pain. There were others suffering even more than me. I thought - maybe there is something for me to do, to make a change, to help people. The first thing was to break the silence, to fight the isolation that women felt. That is why we joined together to form AVEGA."

She then explained why it is vital that the UK government and supporters of charities like CAFOD continue to support Rwanda: "Rwanda is recovering but there is still a lot left to do. Because the genocide affected all parts of Rwanda, we are still trying to rebuild our lives. We still need help, particularly for old women who have lost all their family in the genocide and are now alone. We also need to help young adults who grew up as orphans and didn't do well at school due to their trauma. As a result, they can't find good jobs and they are losing hope, so we need to help them to a better life."

Odette also said how much she had been affected by the support of the people she had met on her visit: "The people I have met all across the country really have a huge appetite for learning more about Rwanda. I was really touched to meet CAFOD supporters of all ages who welcomed us and wanted to hear about our work. We are so grateful to organisations like CAFOD who've really had a huge impact on what we can do. The government in Rwanda are helping but the need is huge and they cannot do it alone. That's why help from CAFOD and other organisations like SURF and HelpAge is vital."

One of the Prime Minister's advisers on international development issues, Kate Joseph, told Odette in the meeting: "The Prime Minister has a long-standing interest in Rwanda, and he knows that - even now 17 years on - the country and its people are still recovering from the genocide. He would like to see how Britain can be more involved and help where we can. He believes that community organisations like AVEGA are doing a vital job and making a huge difference, and he thinks that the British people and British charities can be proud of the support they have given to those organisations over recent years."

Following the meeting, Odette said: "It was an honour to be invited to Downing Street. I was very grateful to have the chance to talk to the Prime Minister's staff about the work of AVEGA and the importance of the support we receive from Britain and around the world. I explained what a difference the CAFOD supporters in parishes and schools around the country have made over the last decade, and I said that together, we can help to heal the wounds of the past and build a better future."

During the Rwandan genocide a million people were slaughtered from April to May 1994, during 100 days of brutal ethnic violence. Around 50,000 women lost their husbands, and became heads of households overnight. Mass rape, used as a weapon of war, added to women's trauma. It is estimated that 67 per cent of women raped during the genocide are now HIV positive.

Amongst its many services, AVEGA offers psychological support to help women overcome the horrors they have faced. They train women in trauma healing, and offer individual counselling and group counselling. In the last few years, AVEGA has helped women gain justice in court for genocide crimes including murder of loved ones, rape and loss of property and land. The organisation has trained 80 women, many of whom have never been to school, as paralegals - women who can offer advice on complex legal cases and even advocate in court. AVEGA also cares for more than 70,000 orphans.


Source: CAFOD