Father Pierre, or Padri Pieri as he is known in Rwanda, would become the association’s president and spiritual father. He had been caught up in the genocide that took place in Rwanda from April to July 1994. The founding text describes the killing of more than a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus in three months, leaving the country devastated and hundreds of thousands of orphans and widows. Many of the women had contracted HIV as a result of rapes during the genocide.
Father Pierre told us that, after the genocide, 70% of survivors were women without a home, work or money. They had to struggle, and continued to struggle, to survive and feed their children.
Help was needed so that they could learn skills, manage their own affairs, regain their dignity and avoid dependence on assistance.
Father Pierre’s motto, which also became that of our association, is:
“Helping a woman helps society. Helping a man helps an individual.”
We seek to help all widows and all orphans, regardless of their ethnic background.
Poverty has no label, and generosity knows no borders.