GENOCIDE RESEARCH AND RECONCILIATION PROGRAMME (GRRP)
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) provided funding to a major programme aiming to strengthen reconciliation and social cohesion processes in Rwanda and to increase resilience against genocide. This will lead to the formation of the ‘Centre for Humanity’ which will be based at the Kigali Genocide Memorial.
The Genocide Research and Reconciliation Programme (GRRP) commenced on the 1st of July 2013. It consists of these three main areas of focus:
Development of the Genocide Archive of Rwanda (GAR)
By bringing together the 18 genocide archives in Rwanda, including the Gacaca court files, this will make the GAR a world class archive for research and education. A Feasibility Study will be conducted by GAR, in partnership with NIOD, for these 18 institutions and the final report to be submitted in March that will enable this unique archive to be made accessible for research in Rwanda and globally.
Research, Higher Education and Policy Programme:
Extensive research will be undertaken to provide evidence based measures from which a policy can be effectively introduced in Rwanda, and that it may continue to improve policies that contribute to peace building. Elements of the research programme will be collaborative with Rwandan and international researchers working together; developing a library of best practice research in a global perspective. Higher education courses will begin in 2014 bringing Rwandan and international students engaged in tertiary research and genocide studies together.
Expansion of the Education Outreach Programme:
The GRRP will complement and bring added value to the Rwanda Peace Education Programme (RPEP) by investing in youth activities and a Youth Peace Education Centre at the Kigali Genocide Memorial (KGM). It will develop a new education programme in Bugesera with a focus on the role of the Nyabarongo River in the genocide and learning from the genocide at the Ntarama Church site. These new programmes will be supported by the GAR and form part of a Genocide and Reconciliation Site Interactive Mapping project that will provide an education and research platform covering 120 sites enabling research of audio-visual testimonies from survivors, rescuers and perpetrators, including images and virtual tours of the sites.