URUGWIRO VILLAGE - President Paul Kagame and survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi have been awarded the Niarchos Prize for Survivorship by the Survivor Corps in conjunction with the Niarchos Foundation.

The award was dedicated to the survivors for their resilience, 15 years after one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of the 20th century.

Three Rwandan survivors this week received the Niarchos Prize for Survivorship on behalf of President Kagame and the people of Rwanda.

Those who received the award were Janvier Mujalibu who played a direct role in stopping the Genocide in which he lost his entire family, Albert Gasake and Geraldine Umutesi. The trio presented the award to the President’s Office yesterday.

Speaking at Urugwiro Village, the Survivor Corps Country Program Coordinator for Rwanda, Albert Nzamukwereka, said that the award follows a visit by top officials of Survivor Corps to Rwanda.

"Board Members of Survivors Corps visited Rwanda in February this year and met with survivors of the Genocide who told them the country’s success story towards reconciliation.”

"Thereafter, they met with top government officials including President Kagame who took them through Rwanda’s achievements and vision 15 years after the Genocide; this left a great impression on them,” Nzamukwereka said.

"This award is in recognition of the people and government of Rwanda for the creditable step taken towards restoration of peace and reconciliation and moving on after the Genocide.”

According to the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG), Jean de Dieu Mucyo, the award is a pride to the country.

"This is one of the awards of honour and recognition of President Kagame’s efforts. This means a lot to the country and all nationals, especially the survivors and those who contributed in stopping the Genocide,” he said. 

"This award is in recognition of the resilience of Rwandan Genocide survivors. This significantly shows that efforts of survivors to move on after the Genocide are being recognised somewhere,” Mujalibu said.

On her part, Umutesi said the award sends a great message to the outside world that survivors did not resort to revenge after the Genocide but instead focused on recovery.

"It was not easy living during the Genocide and it was not easy after, but we had and we have hope in life after what happened,” Umutesi said.

She warned Genocide revisionists saying that the more Westerners visit Rwanda, the more they will know the reality and deny them a platform.

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