Equal access to education can help prevent violent atrocities, according to UNESCO which lists education on genocide as a priority of its Education 2030 Agenda. Adequate education can also provide survivors with the means to build peaceful lives after tragedy. The state of education in many places was torn apart by social conflict and civil war. When violence destroys a community, children are left without resources, unable to escape generational poverty.
What Education Means to Us
As a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, our founder, Immaculee G. Songa, believes that education is a solution to genocide ideology and violence. While hiding for her life, she came to the realization that perpetrators of the atrocities did not question the dehumanizing messages about Tutsi that the Hutu extremist government promoted. Adequate education accessible to all would help prevent genocides in the future, she decided, by providing everyone with a place to learn to and question hate speech and propaganda, even that sanctioned by the government. Sufficient education, while improving an individual’s economic position and health, also bolsters the strength of a person and a nation against the foundational ideology of genocide.
What Education Can Do
Factors that block children from the education they need are inadequate resources for classrooms and teachers, early marriage and unplanned parenthood, and a lack of network support which can prevent enrollment or lead to students dropping out. Girls’ education is often disrupted at higher rates than boys’, leaving girls and women less able to provide for themselves and others.
An important effect of adequate education is employment, a factor of building peace and resilience that is in desperate need of attention. Global Survivors for Peace promotes learning for all to provide the skill-sets necessary for supporting families financially and socially. We assist students in and out of classrooms by providing trainings which contribute to students’ abilities to live healthier and to lift up their communities.
Education is fundamental to the well-being of a society and an individual. Good education empowers critical thinking and strengthens a sense of responsibility to do what is right.
Support Education
Global Survivors for Peace has assessed needs on the ground so that assistance is given to those in greatest need. By educating children and empowering them to sustain themselves in the future, we are preparing and training good ambassadors for peace. We provide resources, mentorship support, college preparation and training beyond the classroom for teachers and students. Investing in education improves the economic growth, health, and outlook of a nation.
If you would like to support education through Global Survivors of Peace, donate to Support Classrooms or Build Schools in Rwanda. Visit the Get Involved page to learn how. You can also send supplies to students or schools. Or sponsor a child to help provide the basic needs that allow them access to quality education. To learn more about sponsorship, see Sponsor a Child.