Genocide and Devastation

Rwanda came into international prominence when from April to July 1994, an estimated one million men, women, and children were massacred in a premeditated genocide, witnessed by the world. Approximately 500,000 children were orphaned: 70% of them witnessed the brutal killing of relatives. Women and girls now represent 60%-70% of the population, with a vast number of widows. Along with genocide, Rwanda suffered the destruction of its institutional infrastructure and the devastation of the rural economy, which involves 90% of the population.

A Forum For Hope

What happened in Rwanda is of concern to all mankind. In this context, individuals, groups and community organizations interested in Rwanda and wishing to see its rebirth need a forum for exchange of information and a framework for providing support to the reconstruction of a new Rwanda.

The Friends of the New Rwanda is an international, apolitical, non-profit network of individuals and organizations created to help the Rwandese people help themselves and assist them in building the new Rwanda.

The goals of the Friends of the New Rwanda are:

To Create Awareness

• Facilitate the exchange and dissemination of information on Rwanda through electronic mail and a newsletter, and provide relevant information to individuals and organizations in Rwanda.
• Organize forums for analysis of the social, economic and political developments in Rwanda

To Support Rwandese Development Initiatives

• Provide advice and information to specific organizations interested in assisting Rwandese, and seek funding and other types of support for projects and programs carried out by Rwandese organizations and communities to alleviate poverty and create conditions for sustainable development.
• Bring an awareness to the international business community of the economic opportunities available to investors in Rwanda and in its strategic position in the Great Lakes Region in Central and East Africa.

To Support and Monitor Projects

• Assist donors in developing, monitoring and evaluating development projects related to the reconstruction of Rwanda.
• Establish a network in Rwanda that will facilitate the development and/or monitoring of projects

Your involvement can be a significant contribution to the development of a more humane society in Rwanda and elsewhere.