Ep 463 - Working Towards Ending Genocide Guest: Dr James Smith

Conversations That Matter

Ep 463 - Working Towards Ending Genocide

Guest: Dr James Smith

By Stuart McNish

“More than 60% of the population of Rwanda was born after the genocide in 1994. They feel its effects, but have little knowledge of what caused it to happen,” says Dr. James Smith of Aegis Trust. The ravages of genocide tear familes, communities and societies apart. Smith adds, “It takes decades of reconciliation, peace-building and support to repair the damage done, and constant vigilance to ensure it does not happen again.”

Central to ensuring it doesn’t happen again is the need to help people who have no concept of peace or how to plan to start to envision a future. Dr. Smith says, “The victims of genocide spent years focused on the minutes ahead of them, relying on their wits to stay alive. Tomorrow, next week, next month never existed, so there was no need to plan or work toward a better future.”

Since 2008, Aegis’ peace-building education program has reached thousands of young Rwandans – a “Peace Education” program that is changing attitudes and behaviour among students and their communities.

We invited Dr James Smith from Aegis Trust to join us from Kigali, Rwanda for a Conversation That Matters about working toward the prediction, prevention and ultimate elimination of genocide.

Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

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