Rwanda - Lifting the Cloud of Genocide

Rwanda is a small country that still endures a widely known and dreadful global reputation for the genocide of 1994. 12 Caring Habits going to Rwanda is part of Rwandans very admirable and on-going national effort to insure that peace is sustained and continues forever.

At the invitation of the Republic of Rwanda and with support from Rotary International,  12 Caring Habit's Founder Elaine Parke Susco went to Rwanda in November 2006 to share the USA 12 Caring Habits model with 70 Rwandan educators.  By the end of the three day Educator Conference with Elaine, the Caring Habits model was adopted and modified by the educators to fit the Rwandan culture. The purpose of the Caring Habits Rwanda project is to:

• 1.  Promote Peace and Unity Among Young                Rwandans

• 2.  Provide a Rotating Monthly Framework for Civic Education in Rwandan Schools

• 3.  Use 'Caring Colors" as Symbols to Transcend Language Barriers

• 4.  Inspire Creativity and Involvement in Peace Activities

• 5.  Build Enduring Habits of Peace Among All Rwandans

While Elaine was in Rwanda she observed that now, twelve years after the 1994 genocide, Rwanda is engaged in a supremely well-directed process toward building a far different reputation for the future. The NURC multi-programmatic peace-keeping activities embrace (1) civic and conflict resolution education, especially among youth, (2) listening to the people, (3) insuring justice for all, and (4) exiting from the divisive thinking of the past.

12 Caring Habits Rwanda Project History

The Rwandan link was made when Caring Habits as "Rotarians Rally Global Caring" was exhibited at the June 2005 Rotary International conference.  African District 9150 PDG and Rwandan John Nyombayire, visited the Caring Habits booth and saw the potential for the simple color-cued monthly Caring Habits peace themes to become an easy-to-follow civic education protocol for students in Rwandan primary and secondary schools.  

For many months, John Nyombayire worked tirelessly in Rwanda to influence his fellow Rotarians in the Kigali and Mont Jali Clubs and his friends in the Rwandan government to invite me to bring Caring Habits to Rwanda. While I was there, Jean Baptiste Habyalimana, President of the NURC and Past President of the Rotary Mont Jali Club told me that, "John would not relent until we agreed to hear more about Caring Habits directly from you."

In August 2006, I received a formal letter of invitation from the Republic of Rwanda and the Kigali Rotary Club and on October 27, I left for Rwanda. Rotarian Shirley Randall, opened her home to me. For the first three days in Rwanda I worked together with 70 secondary school headmasters from all over Rwanda who learned from me, how Caring Habits works here in the United States. 

One of the aspects of Caring Habits that appealed to Rwandans was the simplicity of the thematic monthly protocol and the symbolism of 12 colors for 12 peace slogans since Rwandans are already overcoming the necessity of communicating in three languages.

Ultimately the Rwandan Educators unanimously created Caring Habits RWANDA, using our Pittsburgh basic strategy - but culturalized it and adopted it for Rwandans. Between January and May 2007, with the aid of an intern from Pittsburgh and one from Poland, the NURC will fully develop, seek international funding for, and prepare to implement Caring Habits RWANDA in all schools throughout Rwanda.

In the near future it is envisioned that a contingency of Pittsburgh Caring Habits Rotarians may travel to Rwanda to work with Rwandan Rotarians to implement the service component of the project, "Rotarians in the Classroom."

Throughout the remainder of my ten days of jam-packed activity, traveling throughout the country either visiting or participating in many of the impressive NURC programs and events promoting unity and reconciliation, I was profoundly impressed with the high caliber and quality of the multi-disciplinary programs already underway. I would recommend that we Rotarians investigate the unique Rwandan peace building process and how their successes might strengthen our own Rotary International peace building programs for the future.

Realistically  as we all know, a tragedy of the magnitude of the Rwandan genocide will not just disappear without deep scars and remaining threats that must be met with daily vigilance and constant multi-faceted programs of unity and reconciliation. The imprint of their remaining pain was driven into my own heart while visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial where I was honored to place flowers on the mass grave of 250,000 Kigali victims.  While there I experienced the emotional breakdown and hospitalization of three teen students who, in 1994 as small children, had witnessed the brutal slaughter of their own families, and who were unable to endure the memories that were rekindled by their first images of the memorial.

I believe we live in a world yet blind to the reality that the "epidemic" threatening the very future of our planet is not disease, hunger, or even poverty - it is the epidemic of hate and violence that we can't seem to eradicate from the mechanizations of mankind. 

How long will the influence of humanitarian efforts towards improved health, water, food and shelter last, without kindness and compassion as the dominate influence of our times? The kind of person who becomes a Rotarian is the kind of person the world needs more of.  Can we Rotarians rally ourselves to help eradicate the disease of hate that threatens us all?