Reconciliation Villages Making Possible the Impossible

What is a Reconciliation Village?

There is nothing that speaks to the power of forgiveness like the Reconciliation Village: Perpetrators and victims who came face-to-face during the brutal events of the genocide have chosen to acknowledge the mistakes of the past and commit to living out the future together in peace. They have, in fact, gone beyond forgiveness. They have made a choice not only to move forward, but also to move forward together as neighbors and friends. This extension of forgiveness is the essence of reconciliation. It seems impossible. It is, without God’s presence in the hearts and minds of Rwandans. It is God’s grace, provision, and love now reflected in the lives of the villagers that makes that these communities grow and thrive. Reconciliation is the key to restoring Rwanda in the aftermath of the genocide.

Thanks to PFR and several partner organizations, Rwanda is now home to 6 Reconciliation Villages in different parts of the rural countryside. Each villager has lived in poverty and conflict, whether within Rwanda or in neighboring countries. Villagers care for one another, tend to crops and livestock together, and sell the products from their farms in the markets to earn a profit. They create small businesses together to ensure stability of income. They are trained in efficient and effective farming methods; they participate in reconciliation and restorative justice workshops hosted by PFR; and they hold one another accountable. PFR visits the villages regularly to assess developments and needs and to encourage and pray for the residents. PFR continues to partner with Norwegian Church Aid and other organizations to make these villages successful communities that embody peace, transformation, and economic well-being.

The Rotation System

One of the hallmarks of these villages is the “rotation system” implemented to ensure a sustainable method of keeping and growing livestock. In this system, a villager receives a goat, cow, chicken, or other animal. The villager learns about the breeding process; the livestock produce offspring; the villager then gives the offspring to another villager. The recipient villager repeats this process, thereby “rotating” the livestock to different individuals and families in the villages [see woman in photo receiving calf from villager]. This system creates a sense of cooperation, unity, and accountability. It also proves an effective method for making livestock last in the villages and fosters self-reliance.

45 New Homes Built in Musanze Reconciliation Village

With PFR support, 45 new homes were constructed in Musanze Reconciliation Village in 2010. The village now has 182 homes in total, all built in an expansive valley among lush farm plots of cassava, tomatoes, and other crops. Genocide victims and perpetrators tend the land together, share meals together, and support one another as they learn the true meaning of reconciliation and forgiveness.

PFR recently provided each family in Musanze Reconciliation Village with one goat, which will serve to produce offspring to bring nutritious meals to the families in the village. PFR engages the villagers in discussions and trainings about reconciliation, gardening and breeding techniques, and family planning. PFR also works to supply fertilizer to the village to maximize crop yields. The villagers sell their produce to factories, cook for themselves, or sell it in markets and cooperatives.

Their Stories

Boniface BARIGERA: 44 years old

“My wife, five children, and I recently moved into one of the new houses here in Musanze Reconciliation Village. My family was living on the streets before coming here, displaced by poverty and the events of the genocide. We had nowhere to sleep, and we rarely had the opportunity to interact with others. Now, my family has a home. My children no longer have malaria. We live near water sources, a hospital, and other people. We are part of a supportive community.

When I came here, people welcomed me and helped me integrate into the community. I now live with others in peace. My life will never be the same."

Himana GENDA: 61 years old

“I arrived in Kigali in 2002 after fleeing the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This year, I moved into one of the new homes in Musanze with my wife and my four children. I have found unprecedented happiness here in the village. I live in a good house and have made good friends. By the grace of God, I am here.”

What Can I Do to Participate in Village Life?

• Pray for the perpetrators and victims living in the reconciliation villages. Pray that they continue to seek God’s will for their lives, understand His love, and live out His grace as they live and work together.

• Pray for the God’s direction and guidance for the PFR staff who continue to teach about reconciliation and productive cooperation in the villages. Pray also that PFR receives the financial support needed to continue to improve the lives of residents of the reconciliation villages.

• Make a financial contribution to one or more of the following:

o Construction of more houses in the reconciliation villages

o Installation of water pumps in the villages to bring clean drinking water to villagers

o Clothing for adults and children who live in the villages

o Reconciliation and Restorative Justice training materials

o Electricity for homes in the villages

Continue to visit PFR’s blog (prisonfellowshiprwanda.blogspot.com) to stay up-to-date on happenings in the Reconciliation Villages.

PFR Delivers the Message of Restorative Justice to Hundreds of Rwandans

The principle of restorative justice (RJ) is changing the face of criminal justice systems worldwide. It is a global movement, shifting the focus from punishment to restoration. The ideas underlying RJ are particularly applicable and influential in Rwanda, where the harm caused by genocide crimes remains vast and pervasive. Restorative justice, often held in contrast to “retributive justice,” emphasizes post-conflict peace centered on reconciliation rather than post-conflict peace centered on fear. RJ holds that victims, offenders, and the community-at-large each play a part in delivering justice. Without participation from these three stakeholders, it is impossible to mend the wounds caused by crime. While crime may be an action committed against the state, it is most importantly an action committed against the individual and against the community.

Prison Fellowship Rwanda is dedicated to delivering the message of RJ to communities across Rwanda in the wake of the 1994 genocide. A recent partnership between PFR and the Belgium Embassy is making this ambition a reality: a grant awarded to PFR by the Embassy will enable PFR to bring the message of RJ to more than 1,000 people in 20 administrative sectors in Rwanda. PFR will accomplish this through a series of training workshops, each filled with discussions and interactive presentations. Ex-prisoners, genocide survivors, and local authorities all participate in these workshops, engaging with one another in the same room.

The workshops in each sector take place over the course of three full days. At the end of each three-day workshop, the participants are equipped with the knowledge, network, and support they need to meet regularly in committees and to put the principles of RJ to practice in their own communities. Participants of a variety of backgrounds and roles in the genocide are interviewed in all 20 sectors, conveying their stories and discussing the impact of the workshops on their lives and on the lives of others. These stories will be pieced together in a professionally-directed documentary film, which will proclaim the power of restorative justice and reconciliation to a worldwide audience.

PFR believes that these trainings are key to preventing future conflict in Rwanda; to empowering individuals to take part in the creation of a bright, peaceful future; and to making hope, unity, and reconciliation contagious in every part of Rwanda.

To date, 350 people in 7 administrative sectors, and counting, have completed RJ training led by PFR. The training sessions will continue for two years. A full curriculum on the principles and practice of RJ, carefully designed to deliver the message in a clear, concise way, guides each session. Participants in the sessions discuss the nature and causes of conflict; the role of sin in conflict; ways to prevent and resolve conflict; the impact of conflict; the role of reconciliation in conflict; and RJ as a successful approach to peaceful living. In closing each session, participants are assigned to a committee representing each administrative sector. These committees serve as mediating bodies for any conflicts that arise in that sector, fostering community dialogue and cooperation. PFR keeps in touch with these committees to monitor progress and to evaluate the realization of RJ among people all over Rwanda.

Thoughts from Restorative Justice Training Participants

Speciose BATAMURIZA
Born 1971

Speciose survived the genocide but lost both of her parents. She has 5 children. Before the genocide, Speciose lived in an orphanage and taught the young children living there. Now, she lives in a home with a group of widows who also survived the genocide. She dedicates her life to helping them overcome the trauma they experienced.

“I’ve attended several talks about trauma in the past, but I’ve never sat in the same room with so many different groups debating about forgiveness. The people in the room opened their hearts, and I was able to open my own heart. I am able to forgive.”

“What touched me the most about this training was our discussion about reconciliation. We can talk all day about conflict and ways to prevent it, but we won’t get anywhere without reconciliation. Reconciliation is the bridge that connects transformation to development.”

Théogene HABYARIMANA
Born 1975

Théogene participated as a perpetrator in the genocide. He was imprisoned for his crimes for 6 years following the massacres, and he has repented for the atrocities he committed. He is now married with 3 children.

“It is amazing how victims and perpetrators can come together today and have discussions about the past, present, and future without fear.”

“This has been a chance for me to train together with victims and the community-at-large. This is a chance for all of us to say good-bye to living in fear.”

“I’ve been transformed by what I’ve learned here. I’m ready to go into the community to talk to people about the things I’ve learned. I feel comfortable and open about having discussions.”

Paul MUNYEMANA

Born 1943

Paul was born in the southern province of Rwanda. He went into exile in 1961 and lived in Burundi until shortly after the genocide. When he returned to Rwanda, he found that all 8 members of his family had been killed.

“An angry man hears nothing. A man must open his ears to what other men have to say. We need to actively engage in conflict. We need to talk with one another, even if we need the help of a mediator. Running away from the problem is never the way to handle conflict.”

“I’m an old man. I know Rwanda’s history well. The first thing we must pay attention to now is the children. In order to keep genocide from happening again, we must go back to our communities and talk to the young generations about their country’s history.”

“The second thing we need to do is tell the country’s leaders. We need to make sure that they understand their country’s history and the importance of reconciliation.”

Prison Chaplains Reach Inmates by the Thousands With the Gospel

December 16 was a day of great celebration and sharing for Prison Fellowship Rwanda. All 15 prison chaplains, each dedicated to bringing programs for transformation and growth to prisons within a certain administrative sector in Rwanda, met together at the PFR office. The chaplains celebrated the Christmas season, shared stories, exchanged ideas, reflected on successes, and discussed their respective programs in detail. Each chaplain spoke at length about his or her experiences over the past several months.

The prison chaplains serving with PFR focus on four primary projects throughout the year: (1) Paying regular visits to prison inmates to share the Gospel ; (2) Teaching inmates about Restorative Justice (RJ), a practical gateway to reconciliation; (3) Encouraging confession and repentance among inmates for radical transformation; and (4) leading the ALPHA program, in which the inmates gather in small groups to discuss the meaning and importance of faith.

In the past year alone, PFR chaplains have reached more than 3,000 inmates in prisons throughout Rwanda. 800 have openly repented and have accepted Christ as their savior at gatherings led by PFR chaplains. PFR continues to work to reach the most desolate populations in Rwanda with the good news of Jesus Christ. The chaplains spoke of the tremendous response from the inmates to their words about salvation.

Training sessions in Restorative Justice have also met with great success. These trainings discuss the nature of conflict, causes of crime, the role of sin in crime, and practical ways to prevent and address conflict. The trainings are centered on engaging discussions between genocide perpetrators and victims, guided by a curriculum designed by experts in the field of RJ. 7,000 inmates have attended RJ training this year. More than 400 have confessed their crimes and written letters to their victims, asking for forgiveness and requesting an opportunity to meet with them as the first step in the reconciliation process. Many other inmates who did not write letters also confessed their crimes during RJ trainings.

The ALPHA program in Rwandan prisons is made possible by a recent organizational partnership with PFR. ALPHA seeks to create a safe and open environment for small-group discussion about the meaning of faith. The course is guided by a curriculum, comprised of thought-provoking discussion topics and questions. The purpose of ALPHA is to illuminate the importance and meaning of faith by encouraging people to think about what they believe in and why they believe it.

There are now 116 ALPHA groups, with ALPHA represented in all 14 prisons. 20 inmates participate in each group. This means that over 2,000 prisoners in Rwanda are diving deep into the promises of the Gospel, challenging one another, encouraging one another, and gaining a solid understanding of Christ’s love for His people. This is quite an amazing thought.

Joy and Self-Reliance: Women After the Genocide

During the genocide, thousands of women were raped as a mechanism of ethnic cleansing. As a result, many of these women are now living all over Rwanda with HIV/AIDS. While the government works to provide support to meet the health and physical needs of these women, many of them are left in desolation without families or a sense of self-reliance. Often, they suffer from the effects of experiencing great loss, and they seek retaliation for what happened to their husbands, families, and friends.

PFR has responded to the devastation of Rwanda’s women by introducing the concepts of reconciliation, forgiveness, empowerment, and self-reliance into an innovative program for 35 widows with HIV/AIDs. This program is built on the model of the cooperative, which creates opportunities for income-generating activities, self-sufficiency, and interpersonal cooperation. The women served by PFR are divided into 5 groups of 7 women each. Each group has regular meetings, works together to create handicraft goods, shares the income generated by the group’s members, and maintains a bank account.

To date, the women have specialized in making baskets (particularly peace baskets and picnic baskets), purses, placemats, jewelry, and photo frames. They sell these products in both domestic and overseas markets. 10 women are now learning to sew, and thanks to a recent shipment of 24 donated sewing machines - compliments of Katy Lee, PFR’s summer intern, and Tools for Self-Reliance – PFR now hopes to teach more women how to make fine sewn goods! These goods include: purses, laptop cases, backpacks, shopping bags, school uniforms for disadvantaged children, aprons, toiletry bags, slippers, and scarves.

The women have demonstrated a keen dedication to the cooperative, and they are always so joyful when they come to the office. PFR continues to work to develop and expand the program for the widows, as it has already met with notable success. The staff is focusing on teaching the women new crafts, improving the marketability of the goods presently crafted by the women, and expanding the number and type of markets interested in these goods.

What can you do to participate?

*Purchase something that the women make! It doesn’t matter where in the world you are. Whether it’s a beautiful homemade basket or purse, you will be partaking in the lives of these wonderful women and helping their cooperatives grow! If you are interested in any of the items listed in the above article, please contact info@pfrwanda.org. [Just a hint: These items make perfect Christmas gifts!]

*Pray for these 35 women, that they will experience the goodness and grace of God; that they will continue to have the strength, patience, and persistence to make the products that they need to make; and that they will work well together in groups.

*Pray for new markets for the women, that they will be able to generate more income.

*Suggest possible buyers for the products the women make, whether they are individuals, shops, local boutiques, restaurants, or hotels that you know might be interested. These buyers can be anywhere in the world – no limits! Please contact info@pfrwanda.org if you have any suggestions.

*Donate fabrics, materials, or other items that the women might be able to use given their growing skill set. PFR would greatly appreciate it!