Help Us Achieve Our Mission.
To support Rwandan communities in their journey towards healing, forgiveness, reconciliation, and sustainable development.
By donating today, you help support what we do:
CARSA is a non-profit organization founded to contribute to the restoration and development of the nation of Rwanda. Since its creation in 2002, CARSA has transformed the lives of many communities through trauma healing and reconciliation workshops, peace education, trainings in children’s ministry and community empowerment.
In 1994, the genocide against the Tutsi happened in Rwanda. Afterwards, the convicted offenders were imprisoned. Some have been released to return to their families. It has not been easy for the families of survivors and their offenders to reconcile and live in harmony. This difficult reality is compounded by the genocide’s negative effects on the socio-economic status of the survivors, offenders and their direct families hardly socialize. CARSA works with genocide survivors and their direct offenders, accompanying them on their journeys of forgiveness, reconciliation, and holistic development.
Our Uniqueness
CARSA is a grassroots organization that works in rural areas, where we go and reach out to these parts of communities, especially genocide survivors and perpetrators. Our uniqueness is that we do not see these people as separate individuals; we look at them as a community because they have been living together, and our approach is very holistic; we tackle psychological, social, and economic issues.
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We’re committed to making sure your donation has the biggest possible impact on those in greatest need.
In the last 20 years, we have been working with many people in two major districts, Kamonyi and Muhanga, which are both located in Southern Rwanda. We assist genocide survivors and perpetrators to promote unity and reconciliation, particularly through the process of social healing, repentance, forgiveness, and livelihood transformation. We help prepare them for the social reintegration of convicted genocide perpetrators upon their release, and we have personally seen genocide survivors, moving toward healing and also reconciling with direct offenders.
Our Cow for Peace project has distributed 390 cows to be shared by a genocide survivor and offender. When the cow the pair has raised together the the survivor’s home grows up and produces a calf, instantly provided to the direct offender's family. Over 250 calves have bren give to the perpetrators' families. In total, CARSA has provided needy, healing families with over 600 cows to both survivors of genocide and offenders.
The Cow for Peace digs beyond the surface of forgiveness and reconciliation, tackling trust issues to restore the dignity of individuals who have been hurt of impoverished by the conflict. When these people raise a cow together and share both the produce and the care responsibilities, they learn how to live together again to provide for both their families. They are no longer afraid of each other. At CARSA, It is not forgive and leave, it is forgive and live together.
We have been working with 30 schools and over 5, 000 Rwandan young people in our educational programs. They have visited genocide memorials, peace conferences, and peacebuilding trainings. These youths are making an impact in their community.
Today we have 5 Communities Youth Clubs for Peace, these clubs are for young people who have been part of PCC (Peace Conversation Cirles) that bring together genocide survivors, perpetrators, rescuers (Abarinzi b’Igihango), and youths to have a conversation about the importance of building sustainable peace.
Our Programs
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Trauma Recovery and Reconciliation
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Peacebuilding
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Economic Development
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Youth Empowerment
Learn more about our impact.
UBWUNGO Peace and Reconciliation Center
The UPRC aspires to become the first holistic place for Rwandans to share their positive stories of reconciliation with the 1994 genocide. UPRC is a long-term heart project from CARSA Rwanda.
By building a future-oriented campus outside of Kigali, Rwanda, we will provide visitors with examples of reconciliation after genocide and mass killings in order to increase awareness and understanding in post-conflict societies.
PARTICIPANTS’ STORIES
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“I wanted to apologize but didn’t know how I did it, when I met CARSA”
Munyensanga Jean Damascene
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“I no longer go to the market to look for a skirt as I can make it myself." Success story
Dusabirane Josephine
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"CARSA gave me skills; I’m now rich, and it helped me live in harmony with victims,"
Mbarushimana Celestin
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“My willingness to forgive was stimulated by CARSA’s Reconciliation Workshop.”
Evariste Sibomana
Welcome to our first edition of UBWUNGO Newsletter which highlights success stories compiled from our various interventions aimed at promoting unity and reconciliation, particularly through the process of social healing, repentance, and forgiveness, to prepare for the social reintegration of convicted genocide perpetrators upon their release and improving their livelihood.
UBWUNGO NEWSLETTER
