Foundation Rwanda

FR was established in 2007 to educate and provide holistic support to empower both, second-generation survivors born of rapes which occurred during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and their mothers. Our mission is: To provide support for educational opportunities, including secondary school, vocational training and university scholarships for second-generation survivors; To convene and link families to mental health, medical, and social support services; To empower families economically by providing income-generating and financial literacy programs and small business innovation grants and to create awareness about the consequences of genocide and sexual violence through photography and new media. Since FR’s inception in 2007, over 830 students have graduated from secondary school or vocational training. Now, these children have grown into hopeful young adults facing the challenge of securing jobs, attending university and starting their own families while grappling with the circumstances of their birth and the legacy of trauma. The catalyst for Foundation Rwanda, Intended Consequences began as a multimedia project in 2007 by photojournalist Jonathan Torgovnik with the story of Odette, the first of over 30 courageous mothers to tell their stories. With the help of our incredible supporters, the Intended Consequences project grew into the nonprofit Foundation Rwanda, co-founded by Jonathan Torgovnik and Jules Shell, a movement that has helped amplify the voices of nearly 1700 women and their offspring. FR’s projects are implemented in Rwanda in partnership with Survivors Fund (SURF.) Photo Credit: Serah Galos