Jean-Nepo Sibomana’s childhood was characterised by moving from the home of one relative to another, having lost all his immediate family members in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Sibomana survived the Genocide and the cruelty of Jean Baptiste Gatete, who served as the bourgoumestre (mayor) of Murambi commune in the current Gatsibo District, and the leader of a militia group that swept across his commune and the neighbouring districts, targeting, torturing and killing Tutsi, earning him the moniker ‘the Butcher of Murambi’.
The then 11-year old Sibomana, the eldest of five siblings, would be the only survivor in the family—his mother’s dying wish was for him to take care of his younger siblings.
Despite losing his entire immediate family in the Genocide, Sibomana has now overcome grief and forgiven the perpetrators. He suggests that the enduring cycles of ethnic divisionism and violence can be halted through tangible reconciliation efforts that bring the community together towards the shared objective of economic progress.
After completing studies at the University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology, and quitting a job he had obtained, he went back to his rural area of Murambi sector in Gatsibo District established an agribusiness firm on 15 hectares—and employed children of Genocide perpetrators.
With the modest savings from his job, the social entrepreneur chose to venture into modern farming in 2016. He said he chose to return to this area and work towards reconciliation and unity in the community by establishing the social entrepreneurship project, which serves as both a peace promotion and community-building initiative.
"The social entrepreneurship project is based on modern farming, agro-tourism showcasing modern farming, craft, and education and has created 120 jobs. We wanted to invest in an income-generating project that would unite and benefit the community, as well as promote peace and human rights,” he explained.
He started with watermelon and pineapples before switching to maize and pig-rearing and also established the Agaseke K’Amahoro (Basket of Peace) programme along with the agribusiness project to deepen unity and reconciliation in the area.
Basket of Peace won a local government award in 2019 for promoting unity and reconciliation in the community.
The programme brings together Genocide survivors and perpetrators. "The community members we support are rearing small livestock, and planting fruit trees such as avocadoes. The initiative seeks to restore hope, and help people become open to working with others even though they were Genocide perpetrators. The Genocide survivors beat anger and forgave perpetrators who killed their relatives and friends,” he said.
The entrepreneur said to ensure the success of unity and reconciliation, a value of work for socio-economic development has been inculcated in the community through his project.
"We created the hub of work that brings community members together, that benefits them as they work together. We all need one another. If one releases another they might fall. They should understand the value of work in unity and reconciliation.
"We preferred the goal of achieving reconciliation through work, to provide the opportunity for joint work with many people who already have problems based on Genocide, so that they can work together to solve social problems, talk, and it would help achieve lasting reconciliation,” he said.
In 2022, Sibomana received the National Unity Award for his commitment to unity and reconciliation. He also serves as President of Ibuka, an umbrella organisation of associations of Genocide survivors in Gatsibo District.
Sibomana said children of Genocide perpetrators and Genocide survivors are working together in the agribusiness project to build a peaceful country.
"The children of the perpetrators of Genocide are innocent, they should not be blamed for what their parents did. Genocide survivors and their children are innocent. They should all live together, work together on our farm.”
Farming institute
He created Mustard Seed Institute (MSI), an agribusiness training centre, which improves the lives of rural communities through education, training, and job creation.
The MSI is built on the land where his family lived before the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994. The institute offers piggery and poultry training courses. The sows regularly give birth to between seven to 14 piglets per delivery.
"We also produce organic manure. We harvest rainwater and plant trees to protect the environment. We want to improve what we do to boost agro-tourism. The second phase of the project will build capacity for community members including our current employees,” Sibomana said.
In September, he added, they will have built capacity for 300 people. They will get pigs, chickens, and fruit trees so that they can eventually buy their produce and add value to it once factories are built.
The centre has also established an Iwacu Café restaurant with fresh meals, made with produce from the Mustard Seed Institute Farm and Lake Muhazi.
He revealed the works of the "Ubumwe Garden” facility which will be used as a conversation space by Agaseke K’Amahoro (Basket of Peace) members.
"We also established a nursery, and primary school called Inzozi Hills School with plans to establish a secondary school in the future,” he said.
Inzozi Hills School provides education to children in impoverished rural communities aiming to unlock their potential by nurturing a love for learning and fostering problem-solving skills to benefit their community. ‘Inzozi’ translates to ‘dream’. Established in September 2023, the school initially enrolled 72 students in lower primary grades.
It aims to expand to cater to children in upper primary classes, construct classrooms, hire additional teachers, and acquire more educational materials.