Survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi have gone a long way in reshaping their lives towards self-reliance, the president of Ibuka, Dr Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu, has said.

Ibuka is the umbrella organisation for Genocide survivors’ associations.

Dusingizemungu was speaking on Tuesday at the National University of Rwanda (NUR) while addressing students and staff on the ‘Signs of Hope’ which characterise the lives of survivors, 19 years after the Genocide.

Citing examples of personal or survivors’ associations success stories, Dusingizemungu said there is hope that the living conditions of survivors will keep improving.

He observed that a number of survivors have dreamt big at a time when the path was full of obstacles and hurdles and managed to uplift their living conditions, noting that a number of them have registered tremendous achievements after the Genocide. The success, according to Dusingizemungu, was attributed to hard work which came as a result of joint efforts in, first, healing from the wounds of Genocide and, second, the determination to achieve a better life.

"Survivors’ associations played a key role in restoring hope among survivors,” Dusingizemungu said.

He noted that the future promises higher expectations for further improvement.

Govt commended 

"What survivors went through in the past years were far more difficult than the challenges ahead,” he optimistically noted, as he urged Genocide survivors to keep championing for better living conditions by keeping working hard.

The Ibuka president also commended the role played by the Government in restoring hope for survivors and said its contribution was very crucial.

He noted that Government institutions and officials have relentlessly supported survivors in a bid to help improve their living conditions.

He singled out education, health, justice and socio-economic life as areas in which the government extended significant support to survivors.

Eric Niyigaba, a survivor student, said they have gone a long way but called on them to keep moving.

"We must not relent to seek solutions to the existing challenges because they remain despite the registered progress”.