Story1 min read
We planned for thirty. Sixty-one came.
A report from the first three days of the counselling initiative: who arrived, what the roadmap looks like in practice, and the one thing we had underestimated.
Healing and hope, rebuilt one person at a time
Shalom Rwanda walks with survivors of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, widows, orphaned children and farmers, through counselling, education and sustainable farming.
Founded on Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Who we walk with
Healing is not a programme. It is a person at a time.
Our mission is to co-create capacity in rural communities in Rwanda, primarily focusing on supporting survivors of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, and fostering resilience and growth among all the youth, widowers, orphaned children, and farmers, contributing to the healing and strengthening of communities.
A future where every individual in Rwanda's rural communities thrives in a safe, secure, and nurturing environment.
The people in this work
- Survivors of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi
- Widows and widowers
- Orphaned children
- Young people
- Smallholder farmers
- Those seeking reconciliation
- 150
- People in the counselling programme
- 3
- Days of counselling per person
- 2023
- Working in Rwanda since
Survivors, widows, children and those seeking reconciliation
Plus a Bible and transport, covered by a single gift
Shalom Rwanda Inc. launched in September 2023
What one gift provides
One gift. Three days. A Bible. The journey there.
Most appeals ask you to trust that your money helps. Here is exactly what a single contribution buys for one person in rural Rwanda.
Three days of counselling
A full cycle with a trained facilitator. A day of listening, a day of the harder work, and a day of looking forward.
A Bible to take home
So the work carries on after the third day. For many participants it is the first one they have owned.
The journey there
The reason people nearly do not come. Some walked two hours. It is part of every gift now, not an afterthought.
You choose the amount. Giving is handled by PayPal, which also accepts debit and credit cards — no PayPal account needed.
What we do
Three kinds of work, one household at a time
Counselling, school fees and a kitchen garden are not separate programmes to the families we serve. They arrive together, because that is how the need arrives.
Counselling
Spiritual and emotional care for people carrying trauma and grief
Faith-based counselling for survivors, widows, children, and those seeking reconciliation after causing harm. Each session follows a roadmap built around the person in front of us.
- Three days of intensive counselling per participant
- A Bible to carry the work on at home
- Transport, so distance is not the reason someone misses out
- A safe setting where survivors and offenders can both be heard
Education
Keeping children in school and equipping young people to lead
Support for orphaned and vulnerable children to stay in school, and training for young people so the next generation carries the healing forward.
- School fees and materials for orphaned children
- Mentoring for young people leaving school
- Training for local facilitators who run sessions in their own communities
Sustainable farming
Food on the table and an income that lasts past the harvest
Practical agricultural support for rural households: kitchen gardens, better post-harvest handling, and a route to market for what they grow.
- Kitchen gardens for households feeding children on one meal a day
- Better drying and sorting, so a crop fetches what it is worth
- Seeds and tools for widows farming alone
“I came carrying something I had carried for eleven years. On the third day I realised I was not going to carry it home.”
Give
Be part of the journey
Your donation helps us partner with rural communities in Rwanda through counselling, education and sustainable farming. Together we can create lasting impact and hope. Thank you for your generosity.
- PayPal
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Amex
- Discover
Shalom Rwanda Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation. Gifts are tax-deductible in the United States. Your card details go to PayPal and are never seen by this website.
From the field
What is actually happening
StoryDative, and the drying table
Why a raised drying table is the highest-return thing we have put into a farming household this year, and what it did to one widow’s coffee price.
AnnouncementWorking alongside ENABLE Rwanda
Two organisations had been arriving at the same households from opposite directions. Here is what we have agreed to do about it.
Newsletter
Stay connected to the impact
Be inspired by stories of transformation, receive heartfelt prayers from our founder, and stay updated on the work happening through Shalom Rwanda.