26 years have passed since the genocide in Rwanda. The wound has healed, but the scars remain.
During the preparation of ADRA Slovakia's development project in Rwanda we had the opportunity to meet with Hesron R. Byilingir, who told us how he lost his parents, brother and 75 other close family members during the genocide.
The most horrific genocide in modern history claimed more than 1 000 000 victims in 100 days, from April to June 1994. An average of 10,000 people per day died in the horrific ethnic killings between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. 
When we crossed the border into Rwanda, I had a positive shock. Everything is beautifully built, quality roads and paths, everywhere clean and tidy, people extremely friendly and welcoming. The country has the lowest level of corruption and the most business-friendly conditions in Africa.
Hesron R. Byilingiro, is the president of the Adventist Church, which has over 1 million members in Rwanda, which is about 10% of the population. In an interview, he explained, „After we totally destroyed the whole country, we had to decide how to move forward. We have a president who has helped us to establish peace and motivated people towards national reconciliation and reunification. I too have taken it as my mission to lead the people through the ministry of the church to reconciliation. Today, no one says they are Hutu or Tutsi, but we are all simply Rwandans. No one is to blame for what tribe he or she was born into. When we Rwandans see someone fighting because of some ethnic or social differences, we say to ourselves - these people do not even realise how dangerous this is. But we already know...“
ADRA Slovakia has entered into a cooperation agreement with ADRA Rwanda on a joint development project to help combat child malnutrition in that country. Teaching people how to achieve food self-sufficiency is much more important than supplying them with humanitarian aid. That's why we are helping to build „kitchen gardens“ - small gardens near homes that help women provide sustenance from their own gardens for their children. In the past, the programme has helped to eradicate malnutrition in many villages. We are pleased to be able to develop this project in Rwanda with the support of Slovak Aid.
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