Many people flock to the motivational and inspiring Kigali Genocide Memorial, operated by Aegis Trust. What many don’t learn on their visit is that there is an educational program running on this site that draws youth from around the country. Igihe.com’s Fiona Gasana learned about the educational experience when interviewing Mr. Jean Nepo Ndahimana, an education officer in Aegis Rwanda’s educational program that is delivered at Kigali Genocide Memorial. 

 IGIHE.com : What is the education program ?

Mr. Ndahimana : The Aegis Education Program at Kigali Genocide Memorial provides secondary school students a one-day workshop experience. Our program is called ‘learning from the past : Building the future. The program provides an overview of Rwandan history related to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, including a tour of the exhibitions at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. The program also provides a global perspective on genocide using various examples of genocide around the world to explore the causes of genocide and ways of prevention. Finally, the program looks forward, with a focus on critical thinking, problem resolution, working together to build trust among the Rwandans, all of these to achieve social cohesion.

What is your correlation with the genocide memorial sites ?

 Currently the education program is delivered by Aegis only at the Kigali Genocide Memorial although there are plans to expand the program into all regions of the country and possibly across the borders. Our neighbouring countries have lessons to learn from Rwanda in order to prevent genocide. Visits to regional memorial sites could be incorporated into that outreach program.

Could you tell us when the education program was put into action and whether it is a permanent program ? 

The program began in January 2009 and is a permanent program of Aegis Rwanda.

What are the main purposes of the genocide education ?

The future of any society depends on its ability to understand and reconcile with its past. Education that provides an opportunity for young Rwandans to learn about their history in a safe and structured manner ; education that supports the values and skills necessary for an inclusive future ; and education that inspires, makes a significant contribution towards peace and security.

What are the goals and objectives of the education program ? 

The goal of this program is to focus on social cohesion for the Rwandan society. This is done by fostering values and behaviors that lead to a unified Rwanda. Genocide education explores the past with the hope that a deepened understanding will lead to a Rwandan in which such an event can never again occur.

Who are the people responsible for creating and sponsoring the educational program ? 

Credit for this program must be given to Aegis Trust but this program would not be possible without funding by DFID and CIDA. Aegis also developed the exhibitions currently on display at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, manages the Kigali Genocide Memorial site, hosts the Genocide Archive of Rwanda, and has a social program that assists orphan and widow genocide survivors. 

Which organs do you work with to ensure you fulfill your goals and how do you collaborate ? What roles do these partners play in helping the centre achieve its goals ?

We operate independently, but with much support within all levels of the educational sector. For example MINEDUC and CNLG are fully supporting our program. Very important to our success is the interest amongst school districts and headmasters in bringing their students to the program. Every year we host information sessions for chosen school districts, after which the headmasters sign on to bring a class. It is this commitment from the school officials that makes it possible for us to achieve our goal.

 Who are the members of the educational team and what are their duties ?

We have two qualified secondary teachers who deliver the program in the classroom, and are also responsible for the day-to-day administrative tasks required to keep the program going. The educational team also includes the Country Director of Aegis Rwanda, Freddy Mutanguha who himself has a background in education and the CEO of Aegis Trust, James Smith to oversee the program and advise in education regarding prevention of crimes against humanity. 

The youth of Rwanda are the future of the country. How do you think they benefit from the education program ?

The students are of the opinion that this is a program that is of benefit to everyone. By following the program they acquire knowledge and skills about the past of their country and help them to take their own responsibility at early age to shape their future and build a much more cohesive Rwandan society. They repeatedly suggest an expansion of the program, mentioning that it should be available to all the students in their school, to youth not attending school, to parents, and all other parts of society, including prisoners. They say that they learn things about their history that they didn’t know and that they feel more able to talk about this with others. One of our students said, “You are sensitising people to have the willingness to build the Rwandan community.” As mentioned earlier, the sessions are of one day in length and I think some of the activities have also been described. I could add that we also have counsellors on our staff, who prepare the youth for their visit to the genocide exhibition and conduct debriefing activities afterwards.

Could you tell us if any of the students have personally benefited from any of the centres program ?

Of course we have many examples of students who tell us how they have personally benefited from this program, one student for example told us that he wished he could have the opportunity to bring his mother to the centre, because the history he learnt at home about the genocide was very biased and ill informed compared to the teaching he receives here at the centre.

How will the centre be working with schools ?

 Once the headmasters have signed up for the program, the school goes through a process of choosing students. Because space is limited, the expectation is that senior students with some leadership experience are given this opportunity on the understanding that they will take what they have learned and share with others.

How is the education program helpful resource to the national curriculum ? 

The education program is a resource that enables schools to provide an opportunity to focus on genocide education. Delivering the program at a memorial site and with the exhibitions as a resource, provides an opportunity not only for the students but for the accompanying teachers and head teachers who then are more equipped to address these issues in their classrooms.

Could you elaborate on how the program helps in the development of the civic education curriculum ? 

Civic education in Rwanda teaches children from a very young age that in order to have a peaceful nation, a country must first acknowledge its history both past and present and learn how the atrocities that happened here in 1994 can be prevented from ever happening again. However, I must say again our program sits besides the national curriculum but is not integrated into it. We are planning also to develop an outreach program that will provides in-service training to teachers with the hope that it will provide the sensitisationand the skills for them to be as effective as possible in teaching curriculum related to genocide and social cohesion.

How does the education program contribute to peace and reconciliation in Rwanda ?

By educating these students we are building a stronger and wiser generation in our country. These students will be the ones to make sure their country maintains peace and unity and reconciliation. We make a contribution by raising awareness about the consequences of exclusion and division with the objective to encourage social cohesion and reconciliation in order to prevent the most extreme version of exclusion Genocide.

Recently, a case was reported of a man claiming that the people were not responsible for the genocide instead claiming this should have been apportioned on the Habyarimana establishment. How do you deal with instances of genocide denial like this ?

 We make an appeal to our students to open their minds to our history and to open their hearts to each other. We also focus on critical thinking – encouraging the students to think for themselves what they hear about the past and what they hear in the present – and we also hold a value on individual responsibility for actions.

What challenges do you encounter ?

Financial challenges are large to keep this program running and to insure its expansion. Also, it’s a challenge for schools to have funds to bring the students here.

How successful has the program been up to this day, Could you name some of the achievements the education program has successfully implemented since it began ?

Since the first classes in January 2009 we have had more than 5000 students come and we are fully booked for the upcoming academic term. The daily evaluations are always positive, with comments on the respect with which every student is received, on a welcoming environment and on how important the class was for them. In the last term of this year we are implementing a follow-up evaluation and we look forward to measure what has been the impact of this program in terms of social cohesion and trust among the students and we are expecting to complete this evaluation by the end of the year.