Sweden donates $7 million to peace education programme

The Swedish Embassy in Rwanda has signed an agreement to fund a peace building program designed by anti-genocide NGO, Aegis Trust. Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed on Friday, Sweden will spend $7million (around Rwf 4.5 billion) on the Rwanda Peace Education Programme which was designed to counter behavioural risk factors for genocide by promoting social cohesion, pluralism, personal responsibility, empathy, critical thinking and action to build a more peaceful society. The Chargé d’Affaires at the Swedish Embassy in Rwanda, Maria Håkansson, said that the support is meant to be Sweden’s significant help to fight against the genocide ideology in Rwanda. “Despite many years of structural investment in Rwanda, there has until now been little international support given to work directly to reduce the behavioural risks of genocide,” she said. “I’m proud that Sweden has led the way in funding it. A brilliant collaboration involving both Rwandan and international partners, it is designed to help heal the trauma and divisions that were both a contributing factor to – and a consequence of – the 1994 Genocide.” Dr James Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Aegis Trust, said the peace program will be centring on a mobile exhibition tour of 20 various locations around the country over the next three years. “It will involve radio programming, education and training workshops, arts events, public debates and performances, directly engaging with tens of thousands of Rwandans,” he said. He commended the Rwandan Government for helping in identifying the need to integrate peace-building into the educational policy. “Building on much work over the past decade, this is a massive first step on the road to major developments for genocide prevention and peace-building in Rwanda and the wider region in coming years,” Dr Smith said. The program will work especially with those most influential in shaping attitudes and behaviours in society such as educators, civil society organisations, decision makers, and the youth. It will combine the expertise of Swedish long term partners Aegis Trust, the Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace (IRDP), Radio La Benevolencija (RLB) and USC Shoah Foundation.