Project Title: Foundation Rwanda

Location: Rwanda

Grant Amount: $49,898

Grantee Website: www.foundationrwanda.org

Areas of Impact: Education & Literacy

Mission of Foundation Rwanda
Provide education for children born from rapes during the 1994 genocide. Link their mothers to medical and psychological support and income generating activities. Raise awareness about the consequences of genocide and sexual violence through photography and news media.

Summary
Foundation Rwanda’s objective is to gather and organize women who have children born from genocidal rape during and after the 1994 genocide, so that they may meet together in a safe and protected space, receive peer support and professional counseling to discuss challenges they are facing. The counseling groups will establish informal support networks not previously available to the women, thus helping to reduce social isolation among them.

The facilitation of group discussion and counseling will in turn, improve psychological well-being, particularly in regard to trauma. The program also aims to address the challenges that arise from parenting a child born from rape and ultimately improve mother-child relationships. DFW’s grant of $49,898 will cover group counselor expenses for 16 sessions with 200 women, the partial cost of participation expenses, and a three-day workshop for daughters of rape victims.




Why We Love This
We love this program because Foundation Rwanda has demonstrated that even short-term psychological counseling can substantially reduce the isolation and loneliness caused by rape and subsequent birth of a child during, and following, the genocide in Rwanda.

We believe that psychological health is as important as, and impacts, physical health. We are excited to be on the forefront of supporting mental health initiatives for rape victims in a war torn country.