Stories of Impact

Forgiveness: A Pathway to Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions from Rwanda to the World

In Rwanda, the impact of the Genocide against the Tutsi is felt at the individual, communal, and national levels. The consequences of violence are not unique to Rwanda; but the extent to which forgiveness and reconciliation have occurred over the past 3 decades is remarkable. How is it possible to live side by side with the perpetrators of such heinous crimes as those committed during the genocide, and even learn to forgive them?

Freddy Mutanguha, an ethnic Tutsi, lost his parents, four sisters, and 80 extended family members, and witnessed and survived many horrific acts. Today, Mutanguha is CEO of the Aegis Trust and Director of the Kigali Genocide Memorial. He led the development of Aegis’ peace education program in Rwanda and is now leading Aegis’ work to take this model beyond the borders of Rwanda. In this video, he discusses his forgiveness journey and life’s work nurturing peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation in his country and across the world.

Templeton World Charity Foundation is funding a researcher-practitioner partnership between Aegis Trust's Kigali Genocide Memorial and the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development (IARYD) at Tufts University to build a useful theory-of-change model and associated measurement tools informed from testimonials of Rwandans. Elizabeth Dowling, PhD, Deputy Director at IARYD shares how the researchers will take data that they collect to create science-backed peace-and-values programming at the new Isōko Peace Institute.

11:55 | 2024

Go back to show page