Thursday, April 30, 2015

Ministry of Health Commemoration Event

I was honored to participate in the commemoration events in Nyanza where we commemorated our brothers and sisters killed during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.  Afterwards, we held an event for 35 Ministry of Health colleagues who were killed during the genocide against the Tutsi 21 years ago.  

Please read the New Times article, written by Jean Mugabo, that described the event.  


Full article written by Jean Mugabo of the New Times can be found here: http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-04-25/188184/ 

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"The health sector has recommitted to fighting  Genocide denial country continues to mark the 21st anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
 "Remembering the departed is a responsibility to every Rwandan, but it is even more important to our profession which is tasked to save lives"
‘‘Everybody was created to live, not to be killed. And remember the perpetrators are still there. So, we have to fight them, and fight Genocide ideology, denial and trivialisation,” said James Kamanzi, the Acting Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC).
Kamanzi was speaking at Nyanza Genocide Memorial site in Kicukiro District during an event to remember the 35 former employees of the Ministry of Health (MoH) who were killed during the Genocide.
He noted that the Genocide was stopped by Rwandans and urged health workers to strive for self-reliance.
“No one can love Rwandans or solve their problems more than Rwandans themselves. When the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) left amidst the brutal killings, the RPF Inkotanyi stopped the Genocide. ‘‘So, learn from their heroic actions, never wait for foreign aid but seek to be self-reliant,” he said.
Encouraging everyone to comfort and support survivors, Kamanzi stressed the importance of remembrance in ensuring that the notion of ‘Never Again’ is a reality.
At least 11,000 Genocide victims are buried at Nyanza memorial site, including 3,000 who were killed at Nyanza and 8,000 from nearby areas.
Naphtal Ahishakiye, the Executive Secretary of the umbrella of Genocide survivors associations, Ibuka,  recounted the awful killing of 3,000 people who had sought refuge at the former Ecole Technique Officielle (ETO) Kicukiro, currently the Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC) Kigali.
 “At the height of the Genocide, the Belgian peacekeepers said that their mission was over and withdrew from ETO School on April 11, leaving at least 3,000 Tutsi behind.
‘‘Interahamwe militia marched them to Nyanza and massacred them from there. About 100 were rescued by the RPF the next day when the killers were on the way to finish them off,” he said.
During the event, Dr Agnes Binagwaho, the Minister for Health, led other officials at the ministry, to lay wreaths on the graves of Genocide victims there.
The event was followed by a ‘walk to remember’ from IPRC to MoH offices, where commemoration activities continued.
 After lighting the flame of hope, participants listened  to  testimonies of two Genocide survivors.
 Constantin Ntaramana, a worker at the National Centre for Blood Transfusion (NCBT), testified how he was confined to his work place and fed on glucose for about three weeks.
 “I was at work in NCBT on April 6 (1994), but failed to leave when the Genocide started.
‘‘I stayed there, hiding in the ceiling and feeding on serum glucose until late May when someone took me to the International Committee of the Red Cross. There, the RPF saved us from the killers,” he recalled.
Theogene Hakizimana also recounted how the Genocide robbed the lives of his parents and seven siblings.
“I was beaten and left for dead thrice, but survived thanks to God’s mercy.
‘‘I watched my father, and siblings being killed with machetes while hiding, but later I started wishing I could have been killed with them.
‘‘I used to sit by their dead bodies, waiting for my turn but I always survived,” he testified.
Hakizimana, is among the few who survived in his area of Nyaruguru District, commended the RPF for rescuing him.
Both Ntaramana and Hakizimana spoke of hope for a better future."

*New Times Article written by Jean Mugabo - http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-04-25/188184/ 

Reflections on Kwibuka21

Below is my Op-Ed on Kwibuka 21 that was published in New Times in April 2015.  I hope you will take a moment to read through these reflections on what happened in Rwanda 21 years ago and where we are today.

The full article on the New Times website can be found here: http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-04-11/187761/

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"This year, for the first time, I spent the entire first day of Kwibuka in my village.  It was a moving way to begin the 21st commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi. As I spent the day alongside my neighbours, many of whom suffered so much from the Genocide, I found myself moved by the courage of the great people of Rwanda.
For the survivors who chose to seek reconciliation as opposed to revenge, you have allowed this country to move forward to where it is today.  I am deeply humbled by your courage to forgive.
By doing so, you have offered your hand to lift Rwanda from the ashes it once was.
Today, we are a peaceful and strong country.  We are proud of what we have become.  As His Excellency President Paul Kagame has said, “this country has changed for the better and for forever”.  I am thankful for this transformative leadership that has guided and inspired us all along this difficult but meaningful journey.
Immediately after the Genocide against the Tutsi, 21 years ago, much of the world viewed Rwanda as a lost cause.  They expected us to fail if we were left to our own devices. They believed, as usual, that it was a place that required a hero from the outside. But they were mistaken.  Our heroes are you the survivors and you our great President, Paul Kagame, who led us to our journey of recovery.
Mister President you are a true hero for leading those who ended the 1994 Genocide.  You are a hero for continuing to lead us in our quest for stability, peace, development and prosperity.
My other heroes are those survivors who have faced unimaginable suffering, trauma and pain and yet are striving daily for a better future for all Rwandans - for both survivors and perpetuators and the generations to come. I salute the values that have guided you, including the spirit of self-determination and ownership. Agaciro.
Because of you, Rwanda has shown that poverty, savagery, revenge and terror are not acceptable destinies.
Our story since 1994 has also helped to show how misguided and harmful opinions can be when it comes to false global solutions to assist nations that are trying to overcome great obstacles.
For instance, some justified withholding life-saving health interventions from Rwanda’s children because it will add “man-years of human misery”, (The Lancet)[i].  There are some in this world that promote such failures to humanity.
I could provide many other examples of international organisations that essentially did the same in so many areas.
The world failed to imagine that Rwanda could be where it is today.  We have thus proven these dangerous skeptics wrong.  We have shown that we can break dangerous cycles of despair through forgiveness, reconciliation, and standing united for a brighter future.
Many describe Rwanda’s transformation over the past two decades as nothing short of a miracle.  And yet this discredits the intentional and participatory processes that we have developed as a country to overcome these formidable obstacles.
Under the guidance of our President, a leader who knew that a brighter future would only be possible if Rwandans internalised and worked towards this vision collectively.  We trusted him and he leads this movement to be innovative in our collective thinking. We have refused to leave the most vulnerable behind and held strong to our commitment to equity.
We have created policies that are relevant and responsive to the community at the grassroots level.  We have sought out partners who share in our Vision 2020 and beyond.  And so much more.  Such innovations have translated into consistent economic growth and unprecedented health improvements, among others. Thank you Mister President.
While we have come so far, we all know that we have a long way to go under your guidance.  Our journey has only begun.  But this promising future for our beautiful land of a thousand hills would not be possible without the critical, challenging first steps that our beloved survivors took to pursue real and lasting reconciliation.
To each of you, I hope you know how deeply I admire your courage and thank you for the opportunity to learn from you and be with you in this journey towards a brighter future for all Rwandans."

Friday, April 24, 2015

Promoting the Health of Our Children - Remarks at Children's Week Conference in Stockholm

I was delighted to participate in this year's inauguration of Children's Week conference in Stockholm.  I hope you will take time to listen to this video of my remarks, which includes a call for strong principles to restore and preserve the health of our precious children.