As Rwanda and the international community commemorates the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi for the 29th time (Kwibuka29), One Acre Fund Rwanda staff stood together with Rwandans in commemoration activities that took place in Karongi District on Friday April 7, and in Kigali on Monday April 10. In Kigali, One Acre Fund staff visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for more than 250,000 Genocide victims, where they paid hommage to Genocide victims and honored the resilience of survivors. ALSO READ: 29 years later, Rwanda remembers “As Rwandans and friends of Rwanda, we remember the lives lost in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, friends and neighbours. More than one million innocent people were killed. We remember each of them and carry their spirit with us today,” One Acre Fund Rwanda CEO, Eric Pohlman, said during the commemoration ceremony on Monday. “As we gather, we also honour the Genocide survivors in our families and communities. More than anyone, they have taught us the meaning of resilience, humanity and forgiveness. They laid the first stones in the foundation of national unity upon which today’s Rwanda is built.” ALSO READ: Kwibuka 29: There is no hiding place from facts of our history – Kagame Pohlman stated that, together with the survivors, the One Acre Fund staff gathered to unite and build a dignified nation, “a light on the hill.” He continued by saying that they gathered to renew their commitment to each other as neighbors and to Rwanda as leaders who exist to serve fellow citizens, and to renew their commitment to the next generation, as we pass down the lessons of the Genocide and our shared history to our children. “The One Acre Fund community stands together with all Rwandans as we remember, unite and renew,” he said, echoing the national theme of the commemoration period. ALSO READ: Resilience and humanity in the face of adversity: Mama Sevota’s story One Acre Fund Rwanda is an Agriculture Organization that works to make farmers more prosperous through three strategic pillars: (1) they provide direct services to farmers to support them in achieving prosperity for their families and within the community, (2) they partner with the government and the private sectors to create better food systems in Rwanda, (3) and invest in a thriving Agriculture private sector. The Genocide commemoration week, also known as Kwibuka week, began on April 7 and will conclude on April 13. However, commemoration activities across the country and abroad will continue for 100 days until July 3, the eve of Liberation Day on July 4 -- date at which the RPA-Inkotanyi stopped the Genocide and liberated Rwanda, putting an end to the era of division and hate that plunged the country into one of the worst tragedies of the 20th century. Led by the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), the country has since embarked on the journey of national unity to rebuild the country.
