20 Years After the Genocide, Rwanda's Future is Being Rewritten-and Here is How they're Doing It…

Dan Wooding : Apr 22, 2014
ASSIST News Service

“The anniversary calls us to stand alongside the people of Rwanda in remembering, while also reflecting on the new story that is being written in their country—a story of healing, reconciliation, rebuilding and hope.”

Recently, Rwanda commemorated the 20 year anniversary of the devastating genocide in which over 1 million people lost their lives, and now the world's attention is once again focused on the horrors that took place there two decades ago. (Photo via ANS)

According to the BBC, between April and June 1994, a huge number of Rwandans were killed in the space of 100 days. Most of the dead were Tutsis—and most of those who perpetrated the violence were Hutus.

"Even for a country with such a turbulent history as Rwanda, the scale and speed of the slaughter left its people reeling," said the BBC story.

"The genocide was sparked by the death of the Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, when his plane was shot down above Kigali airport on April 6, 1994.

"Whoever was responsible, within hours a campaign of violence spread from the capital throughout the country, and did not subside until three months later."

But there is one group that is bringing hope back to Rwanda—The Wellspring Foundation—a non-profit organization based in Langley, British Columbia, which is committed to empowering Rwanda's next generation through quality education.

"The anniversary calls us to stand alongside the people of Rwanda in remembering, while also reflecting on the new story that is being written in their country—a story of healing, reconciliation, rebuilding and hope," said a spokesperson for the group.

"Over the past ten years, The Wellspring Foundation has had the privilege of seeing first-hand how education has the power to change lives, and to change the direction of a nation in its journey towards unity and restoration." (Photo via ANS)

Based in Kigali, with a support office in Langley, BC, Wellspring staff work alongside school leaders, teachers and parents in 48 Rwandan public schools, equipping them to create a vibrant learning environment in which the 70,000+ children in these schools can thrive and fulfill their potential.

Wellspring CEO Andy Harrington says, "2014 represents a significant milestone for the country of Rwanda, and for The Wellspring Foundation. As a country emerging from an unbelievably painful past and looking to create a new legacy, investment in Rwanda's children is absolutely essential.

"At Wellspring, it is our privilege to journey alongside school communities, empowering teachers, parents and leaders to provide a quality, values-based education that will transform their lives, and their country."

Some 48 public schools, in the Gasabo District of Rwanda, "are experiencing change through an innovative and holistic School Development approach, which sees The Wellspring training team walking alongside entire school communities to bring sustainable transformation and measurable results," the spokesperson continued.

Seeking to bring change and hope at an individual and school-wide level, they train in servant leadership, peace and reconciliation, quality education, worldview, parenting, and the integration of values into the curriculum.

"We are seeing lives changed in tangible ways, and therefore, as we remember the past in the days to come, we also look with hope and anticipation to the future of this vibrant African nation," added the spokesperson.

About The Wellspring Foundation (www.thewellspringfoundation.org), since 2004, Wellspring has built a model Christian school in Kigali, offered training to hundreds of Rwandan teachers, supported the growth of the Association of Committed Teachers (ACT) Rwanda, and launched an innovative School Development Program. Wellspring is also actively engaged with local and national government and currently chairs the Rwanda Education NGO Coordination Platform.