First Lady Jeannette Kagame addressed a gathering in Washington, D.C, stating that the progress Rwanda registered over the last couple of years, is as a result of inclusive policies and structures.

The First Lady delivered the message on Wednesday at the 67th National Prayer Breakfast Luncheon.

She said the success of the decisions that the Rwandan leadership took, of investing in the country’s biggest asset—its people—is clearly reflected in the positive returns.

"We live in a time when humankind is being tested,” Mrs Kagame said.

With a lot of divisive rhetoric in the world today, the First Lady said, there’s a need to uphold unity as a core principle, whilst knowing that this will only be attained, if we believe the practice of "all for one, and one for all.”

"This is the most important legacy we can leave to our children and future generations,” she added.

In demonstrating the hard decisions the Rwandan leadership took after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the First Lady used the example of Nelly Mukazayire, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Convention Bureau and Geraldine Umutesi, the Deputy Director General of Imbuto Foundation.

Both Mukazayire and Umutesi have different but related histories.

While Mukazayire is a child of a genocidaire, Umutesi lost her parents and three siblings during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. They are both young Rwandan women occupying leadership positions and expected to deliver.

At a given moment, Mrs Kagame said,” imagine a young leadership inheriting a country full of Nellys’ and Geraldines’- how do you reconcile these two?”

And, most importantly, she questioned how a people can be reconciled enough to break the cycle of hate.

"As you can see, the leadership had the hardest task; reinventing Rwanda as a brand new unified, and peace-loving nation,” the First Lady said.

At the luncheon, Mukazayire shared a story about Rwanda’s rebirth and her personal reconciliation in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Following the luncheon, the First Lady visited the Rwandan Embassy’s new offices in Washington, D.C.

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