InternationalAlert 348d ago

After the genocide, Theobald fled to Burundi but “was always haunted by the crimes that I committed”. Upon returning home to Rwanda, he served 12 years in prison for his role in the genocide. “After being released back into the community, I avoided meeting genocide survivors. I felt so ashamed that I could not even attend a market. I feared attending genocide commemoration activities or church services.” When International Alert first started our Duhuze project in Theobald’s community in the Southern province, he was approached by the community facilitator and invited to join a therapy group. The project, which ran from 2017 to 2022, delivered mental health support alongside group dialogue and livelihoods initiatives to help strengthen community cohesion and reconciliation in seven districts in Rwanda. Theobald is sharing his story as part of International Alert's Peace of Mind project, which demonstrates how peacebuilders can effectively incorporate mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in their own projects, drawing on lessons from our experience in Rwanda and Tajikistan. Find out more at www.international-alert.org/peaceofmind