Resilient Rwandan women

In 1994, for 100 days, the world turned its back towards Rwanda while approximately one million people were slaughtered. As a trauma counselor and survivor of the genocide, I represent the voices of Rwandan women survivors. I wish to have you turn your eyes toward Rwanda by telling some of our stories. Rwandan women suffered many atrocities during those 100 days, but the suffering has not ended. The infrastructure of the country was demolished, homes and neighborhoods destroyed, families and other relationships devastated, and the ability to trust destroyed. Twelve years after the genocide, we are still rebuilding. Memories of the genocide are still fresh in our minds and we live among the daily reminders. One of the most important things I can do is to tell you the stories of Rwandan women, to bring value and meaning to their words by your listening, and to bring back to them a message of your caring through your having listened. In this presentation, I will share personal accounts of two Rwandan women who receive care from women's associations and the U.S. nongovernmental organization, Women's Equity in Access to Care and Treatment (WE-ACTx.) I will speak of their pain and resilience.