Survivor Corps, an organisation founded in April 1997 as a Landmine Survivors Network has come to Rwanda bringing with it ten years of helping survivors around the world.

It kicked off its programmes in the country with a three-day training of various organisation representatives that ended Friday at Hotel La Palisse Nyandungu. The organisations were from as far as Uganda and Burundi.

According to Friday’s trainer and Health Education Specialist, Cameron Macauley, Survivor Corps initially only catered for landmine survivors but started catering for all kinds of survivors two years ago.

"At survivor Corps, we mainly deal with three areas; helping survivors recover from psychological trauma, helping communities recover from war related trauma and helping nations involved in conflicts to reconcile,” Macauley explained.

Survivor Corps’ strategy for helping survivors is through peer support where a recovered survivor helps those still in recovery. It also trains survivors in ways of helping others recover from their bad experiences.

The organisation provides healthcare to survivors, helps them acquire jobs, teaches them to advocate for their own rights and the organisation also advocates for these survivors in the countries where they live.

"…genocide had a profound nature of psychological trauma,” Macauley said when asked why they had finally come to Rwanda.

He also revealed that the Survivor Corps will be in the country for five years saying that usually positive results are registered within two years of dealing with a survivor.

One of the trainees and General Secretary of the Association of Landmine Survivors and Amputees in Rwanda (ALSAR), Eugene Mussolin, gladly welcomed the Survivor Corps.

"It has come in time,” he said, adding that he hopes it will help their organisations enhance and implement the good ideas they have and also because the training they’ve received from the experienced Survivor Corps.

Mussolin said that apart from the training in Peer Support and advocacy, they hope to get direct support from the Survivor Corps.

He also revealed that ALSAR is planning to carry out a census in March on landmine survivors and amputees citing lack of a database as a major challenge.

Survivor Corps was founded by Jerry White and Ken Rutherford, both landmine survivors and amputees.

The two worked together to help build a coalition of over 1000 NGOs, churches, agencies and institutions to support a ban on the use, sale, or manufacture of antipersonnel mines.

They also lobbied for the inclusion of a clause in the ban:
"Each State Party shall provide assistance for the care, rehabilitation and social and economic reintegration of mine victims and for mine awareness programs.”

No other arms treaty in history has included a provision for the care of survivors.

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