The Association of Student Survivors of the Genocide (AERG) and Former Students who survived the Genocide against the Tutsi (GAERG), yesterday launched a countrywide outreach activities, dubbed the ‘AERG-GAERG Week’ organised in line with the forthcoming 23rd commemoration of the Genocide.

The launch of the campaign took place in Mata Sector, Nyaruguru District. As part of the activities, the young people renovated survivors’ houses and helped put up small backyard gardens, locally known as "akarima k’igikoni”.

Bernadette Mukarugomwa, one of the beneficiaries of yesterday’s activities, hailed young survivors for filling the gap left by his deceased children to give her shelter and support.

"When my children got killed during the Genocide, I kept on wondering if I would ever find someone to stand with me in hard times.  Now AERG and GAERG have become a family,” she said.

"Many people have promised to help but didn’t and I really want to thank young survivors for renovating my house,” Mukarugomwa added.

Throughout this season, members of AERG and GAERG are due to spend every Saturday of March and the first Saturday of April at selected sites in different districts, where they have identified vulnerable genocide survivors to whom various forms of support will be provided.

AERG and GAERG say this year’s activities will be aimed at supporting vulnerable genocide survivors. Individuals, whose heroic acts saved the Tutsi during the Genocide, will also be recognised by rewarding them cows (Inka y’Ineza) to appreciate their good deeds.

Emmanuel Twahirwa, the national coordinator of AERG, said young survivors are drawing inspiration to help from the fact that they were not only saved during the Genocide, but were also given hope for life. 

"We are grateful and are giving back to the community because we survived, not because of our bravery, but through the outstanding courage of RPA soldiers and other Rwandans who sacrificed their lives in order to save us. Many of them put their own lives on the line while others paid the ultimate price to save us. We are grateful to them,” Twahirwa said.

"It’s been 23 years since we survived the Genocide against the Tutsi and the country has always helped us in many things. Giving back to the country through assisting its different programmes is our choice as strong, young and grateful people. We remember those whose lives were taken, we celebrate survivors’ lives and thank those who rescued us,” Olivier Mazimpaka, the president of GAERG said in a statement.

This year, the young genocide survivors will carry out different activities that include building 11 houses, rehabilitating 15 houses and giving out 11 cows. They will also work with local communities to set up 135 kitchen gardens. They will clean 41 genocide memorials and give wheelchairs to disabled former RPA soldiers who were engaged in the liberation war and stopped the Genocide.

Nyaruguru District alone has 10 memorial sites and hundreds of genocide widows, according to district officials.

Antoine Bizizi, the vice Mayor of Nyaruguru, said that in Mata survivors’ village, 27 houses are in poor state and in need of renovation. 

"We thank AERG and GAERG for having supported us in this activity,” Bizizi said.

Since 2015, members of AERG and GAERG have cleaned 65 memorial sites, built 17 new houses and renovated 12 others. 21 cows were given and 217 kitchen gardens set up.

They also paved 13km of feeder roads in the communities they visited.

GAERG is an organisation founded by Rwandan graduate genocide survivors. Their mission is, "to create a world where the memory of genocide is preserved and a self-sustaining genocide survivor’s community exists.”