Between April 6 and July 17, 1994 an estimated 800,000 to 1,000,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred in the African country of Rwanda by members of extremist Hutu militias.
It was a genocide that horrified the world, not only because of the sheer number of people murdered in such a short time, but also because of how inadequately the United Nations and the western world responded to the human crisis. The massacre placed Rwanda squarely on the conscience of the world, but it is the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus, which threatens to exact a greater human toll.
What has the world done since?
In February, Russ Fox of World Vision Canada travelled to the small Rwandan village of Kahi, population about 3,000, where over 35 per cent of the people, many of them women and children, are infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. Immediately, a cause was embraced and a commitment made. Operating on the theory of making a difference "one community at a time," World Vision's goal is to reduce AIDS in Kahi to under 10 per cent within a three-year period, through medical intervention, education, and support for the many children orphaned by both war and disease.
On Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Gibsons and District Public Library, Fox will share the deeply moving photographs of his Rwandan experience. His presentation will touch on the massacre and its aftermath, but emphasize a message of reconciliation, rebuilding and hope. Register for this event by calling 604-886-2130 or in person at the library.
