February 20, 2017

History

Jeanne Mwiriliza and her familiy

Following the 1994 genocide of nearly one million people, including her own husband, Jeanne Mwiriliza made it a regular practice to convene groups of women survivors to share their burdens and to provide one another with emotional support.

One night in 2004, Jeanne’s dear childhood friend was murdered by her husband. Jeanne was struck with grief and the sense that she could have done more to help her vulnerable friend. She resolved to devote her life to empowering women victims of violence and to helping to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.

In January 2006, Jeanne founded Tubahumurize Association, which means “let us console and give them hope“, with a vision of empowering women victims of all forms of violence in Rwanda, including genocide survivors, victims of domestic violence, and victims of rape. By helping these women, Jeanne hoped the Association would also improve the lives of their dependent children, help to break cycles of violence, and contribute to building a more peaceful society for the next generation.

To date, Tubahumurize has assisted over 1000 women through group and individual trauma counselling, micro-credit loans, entrepreneurial skills training, human rights and life skills education, and vocational skills training.

Thanks to its partners around the world, the Association’s programs continue to transform lives and to evolve. We aim to do even more to empower vulnerable Rwandan women in the future.