Rwanda is a landlocked country saturated with rolling hills and rugged peaks. Even more beautiful than its natural landscape are the country’s warm and resilient people. After the tragic genocide of 1994, the nation has worked diligently to rebuild its structures and its people’s spirit.
Even though the government has made many gains in rebuilding and supporting schools throughout the nation, there are still many schools that have not been remade. The schools that have been rebuilt still struggle to supply each student with their own paper, pencils, and sometimes even chairs and desks. Currently, education is supported with only 15% of the Rwandan national budget; 9.5% of that percentage is allotted for health education.
With limited funds to work with and over 2,000 primary schools alone to support, the building and supporting of desperately needed counseling centers is obsolete. During the genocide of 1994, an estimated 1 million people were murdered within a three-month period.
According to a UNICEF National Trauma Survey in 1995:
- 99.9% of Rwandans witnessed some act of violence
- 79.6% of Rwandans witnessed death within the family unit
- 69.5% of Rwandans witnessed someone being killed/injured
- 61.5% of Rwandans were threatened with death
This nation-wide killing spree has deeply affected the emotional and spiritual dimensions of Rwandan citizens. Many are left with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, along with severe anxiety, depression, and a host of other mental health problems.
Rwanda continues to rebuild and recover, 14 years after tragedy. Rwanda still continues to be one of the world’s poorest nations, with a national literacy rate of 64% and a variety of emotional and mental health disorders.
Even so, Rwanda continues to be a country of great hope. With your support, The Change Exchange continues to foster that hope by building and supporting schools and counseling centers throughout the nation. Our hope is to create structurally sound learning environments with the materials needed to support students in receiving a lasting academic education. Our organization also hopes to create warm, comfortable counseling centers operated by trained, local people that will provide children with an emotional education and release.
We continue to enable dreams.
