Rwanda and the Great Lakes

CFOR is implementing a programme together with Innocent Musore of GER Global Initiatives for the Environment and Reconciliation in Rwanda, and in cooperation with the NURC, National Unity and Reconciliation Commission. The programme supports the ongoing work of reconciliation, violence prevention and community recovery, in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide.

Innocent made contact with Arlene and Jean-Claude, CFOR’s Founders, with a dream of making a contribution to his country and the Great Lakes region – asking if we might work with him to bring CFOR’s programme of post-conflict recovery and violence prevention to Rwanda, and potentially to Burundi and the DRC. Innocent then came to the UK to take part in our Intensive course.

The programme is now underway, and participants include perpetrators and victims of violence, community members as well as those working within organisations to support recovery – all dealing with their own personal experience, the legacy of the genocide and the current needs of communities. Forum participants include youth and elders, local authorities, government and community groups.

Facilitated dialogue using methods of ‘worldwork’ will explore current community issues, history and pathways forward. A three-year programme includes facilitated community dialogue, facilitation training and mentoring of facilitators involved with further forums and community projects throughout the country.

Coordinated by Innocent Musore, the programme is facilitated by CFOR co-founders, Arlene Audergon and Jean-Claude Audergon.

In post-conflict zones, community wide trauma can easily fuel fresh rounds of violence. Our experience applying ‘worldwork’ methods in post-conflict zones is that with facilitation, communities have a profound capacity and resilience to be able to meet, and process history together, so as to not fall victim to repeating rounds of violence, but rather to find shared pathways forward for recovery and violence prevention.

Mr. Musore’s vision is to bring this work to Rwanda in a way that will support the on-going National Reconciliation processes and the work of communities throughout the country.

Please see the page with documentary films about our work in Rwanda here.

Also, see article: Audergon & Audergon, ‘Contribution of worldwork methodology for violence prevention and community recovery after mass violence: An example from Rwanda’, in Psychotherapy and Politics International, John Wiley and Sons.GE

Please read Report of Trainee facilitator activities supporting reconciliation at a community level in the Districts of Gasabo, Kicukiro and Bugesera.

Participants of GER and CFOR’s Programme were invited to speak at the Rwanda’s 2019 International Day of Peace celebration in Parliament. Please read more about it here.  

See CFOR-GER Beyond Conflict Rwanda 2018 full Report

See GER REPORT Masaka Mass Graves Kicukiro Kigali JULY 2018

See Summary of Forums in June 2017 and November 2017, Kigali, Rwanda

See One page summary of June 2016 Forum in Kigali, Rwanda

See the full report of the June 2016 Forum in Kigali, Rwanda

See Rwanda programme description