Rwanda: Where There was Hate, There is Now Hope

An atmosphere of forgiveness and reconciliation is occurring in Rwanda...

Salem-News.com

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - Rwanda Partners is a Christian Non-profit organization founded in August 2004 who works directly with the Rwandan people through the development and implementation of programs that promote reconciliation and poverty reduction.

Not only does Rwanda Partners serve to promote social reconstruction their focus is on hope through healing through the power of their faith and determination. They serve Rwanda’s most vulnerable poor including widows, victims of rape, orphans, child headed households, genocide survivors, impoverished rural families and street children. The organization states on their website, “while the world tends to define Rwanda through the 1994 genocide a new vision of this nation is needed –for something new is taking place!”

An atmosphere of forgiveness and reconciliation is occurring in Rwanda through the help of this NGO. Some victims are finding forgiveness for their perpetrators and thousands of perpetrators are experiencing deep regret and repentance.

“The world needs a new vision of Rwanda,” states the founder of Rwanda Partners, “they are helping us to learn what it means to survive the very worst man can do.” Though one woman’s journey out of fear in Seattle she founded this non-profit organization in order to learn from the women of Rwanda.

To learn how these amazing women survived the worst atrocity of the 20th century. She set out, half a world away through her faith, to connect hearts through hope and healing.

Rwanda Partners provide income generating workshops and teaches orphans bee keeping and honey farming which supports 100 orphans who are the sole providers for their younger siblings. The Urunana Pineapple Plantation Project in Ruhuha benefits widows, rape victims and wives of imprisoned genocide perpetrators.

These women come together to provide food for themselves, their region and seek to further reconciliation. At the Rwanda Partners New Hope Reconciliation Center and Equipping Center in Myamata, community members come together to learn Evangelism Outreach and to seek discipleship in order to help the women, men and children of Rwanda discover who God has created them to be. They also provide training in reconciliation and teach job skills training. Classes are taught on creating sustainable income-generating projects, basic health care education is also provided as well as teaching other life skills to this community.

Rwanda Partners also played a key role in the facilitating the vision and implementation of the “Center for Champions” which serves hundreds of street kids by providing them a bed, a day center and activities to keep the street kids of Rwamagana safe. This center was financially supported by the U.S. First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue and is operated by the NGO African Evangelistic Enterprises/Rwanda.

Jennifer Fierberg is a social worker in the US working on peace and justice issues in Africa with an emphasis on the crisis in Rwanda and throughout the central region of Africa. Her articles have been published on many humanitarian sites that are also focused on changing the world through social, political and personal action.

Jennifer has extensive background working with victims of trauma and domestic violence, justice matters as well as individual and family therapy. Passionate and focused on bringing the many humanitarian issues that plague the African Continent to the awareness of the developed world in order to incite change. She is a correspondent, Assistant Editor, and Volunteer Coordinator for NGO News Africa through the volunteer project of the UN. Jennifer is also the media co-coordinator and senior funding executive for The Africa Global Village (www.africaglobalvillage.com) Jennifer comes to www.Salem-News.com with a great deal of experience and passion for working to stop human right violation in Africa.