Exploring intergenerational legacies, transmission processes and their effects on engagement in risky behaviours among post‑genocide youth in Rwanda
This study explores the interplay between intergenerational legacies and the transmission processes of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), guilt, shame, and aggression among post-genocide youth in Rwanda, as well as the correlation of these intergenerational genocide legacies with their effects on engagement in risky behaviours.
The study was conducted in five districts: Musanze, Ngoma, Nyabihu, Nyagatare, and Nyamagabe, in collaboration with Interpeace, Prison Fellowship Rwanda, Haguruka, Dignity in Detention, and in partnership with the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement. This was in line with Interpeace’s holistic peacebuilding programme, “Reinforcing Community Capacity for Social Cohesion and Reconciliation through Societal Trauma Healing in Rwanda”,' funded by the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
The key finding is that parental reluctance to fully open up to youth and communicate about the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi is due to the emotional complexity and protective barriers parents maintain, given their fear of the potential harm such conversations could inflict on their children.
Based on the findings, the study’s authors recommend the adoption of innovative and scalable intervention approaches, combining education, mental health support, and social services to create a supportive environment that can help youth make healthier choices and reduce their engagement in risky activities. Such approaches include, but are not limited to, early education and awareness, encouraging inclusive conversations, supportive resources for parents, community healing initiatives, educational programmes on historical context, mental health support services, parental guidance programmes, community engagement activities, and regular monitoring and evaluation.
The role of research in building and strengthening resilience
Building and strengthening resilience in any country or society requires research-based interventions that drive real change. This resonates best in Rwanda, a country that experienced the most horrible crimes of the Genocide against the Tutsi three decades ago.
In June 2024, Interpeace partnered with Resilio - International Association for the Promotion and Dissemination of Resilience Research, the University of Rwanda, the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement, and local peacebuilding organizations to organise the 6th World Congress on Resilience, held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Themed “Resilience and Trauma: Conceptual Development, Challenges, and Perspectives,” this international gathering brought together more than 350 participants, including researchers, practitioners, academics, university students, peacebuilders, as well as policymakers from across the globe who are involved in the field of trauma healing and resilience.
Featuring scientific papers and oral presentations, poster sessions with presentations from researchers, video screenings, as well as panel discussions, the congress provided participants with the opportunity to deepen their discussions on the role of research in fostering trauma healing, strengthening resilience, and peacebuilding.
In joint opening remarks, the Chair of Resilio, Prof. Eugene Rutembesa, and Co-chair, Prof. Colette Jourdan-Ionescu, stressed the importance of organizing the congress in Rwanda, which is located in Africa’s Great Lakes region that has been experiencing violent armed conflicts and insecurity for decades.
“This congress will allow researchers from around the world, especially those from the Great Lakes region, which has been experiencing protracted political and ethnic violence, to better understand and discuss the ability to resist destruction, to preserve integrity, and to build the resilience of those people undergoing extreme suffering.”
Speaking as a Guest of Honor, Jean Damascene Bizimana, Rwanda’s Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), underscored the level of resilience Rwanda has achieved 30 years after the Genocide against the Tutsi and commended the role of research in that journey. He also recognised that the discussions and deliberations of the congress would enable concerned actors to continue developing evidence-based programming.
“This event testifies to the importance of research and multi-stakeholder collaboration to help us further our understanding of resilience. It will also help all stakeholders across the globe to develop fact-based initiatives to continue strengthening the resilience of populations at all levels.”
The 6th World Congress on Resilience was an opportune occasion for Interpeace to showcase its work and holistic approach that have significantly contributed to strengthening the resilience of Rwandans.
Evidence-generation to strengthen resilience
At the world congress, Interpeace presented the findings of the resilience assessment framework titled: “A Community-Based Participatory Framework for the Assessment of Resilience in Rwanda,” conducted in collaboration with MINUBUMWE. Involving a significant sample of 7,481 individuals, the study evaluated resilience across four levels—individual, household, community, and institutional—using a comprehensive set of 38 indicators.
The findings underscored a commendable degree of resilience across all assessed levels, demonstrating a significant milestone three decades after the Genocide against the Tutsi. The study recommended the need for intensified efforts in societal healing initiatives to sustain the gain in healing and resilience. The Framework for the Assessment of Resilience stands as a landmark initiative and a foundational reference for future studies in the field of resilience within the country.
Interpeace also presented the findings of its Randomised Controlled Trials (RCT) conducted to assess the effectiveness of its two interventions, namely Resilience-Oriented Therapy and Multifamily Healing Spaces, both of which are being implemented in the community to strengthen resilience at the individual and family levels, respectively.
Findings revealed that Multifamily Healing Spaces are effective in addressing the intergenerational transmission of genocide legacies, resolving intra- and inter-family conflicts, promoting positive parenting, and improving family communication and cohesiveness.
Resilience-oriented therapy has been proven effective for emotional regulation, behavioral self-management, and identity development. The results indicated an increase in psychological resilience by 15%, a decrease in depression by 64%, and a decrease in anxiety by 53% among the Resilience-oriented therapy treatment cohort. Implemented at the Health Centre level, the approach helps to address cultural barriers associated with the one-on-one approach usually implemented across the country and makes mental health services more accessible to more people in need.
Minister Bizimana commended the group-based approaches in building the capacity of individuals for resilience. “The Resilience-oriented therapy has proven to be particularly effective. Findings are not only commendable but also serve as a model for other communities around the world’” stated Hon. Bizimana.
In Rwanda, Interpeace and its local partners implement a holistic approach to peacebuilding and resilience strengthening. Watch the video below to further understand the unique and innovative approach that has driven positive change in societal healing in Rwanda.
A holistic approach to peacebuilding in Rwanda
This video describes Interpeace’s holistic approach to peacebuilding in Rwanda and the positive change it has brought about. Implemented in partnership with local organisations such as Haguruka, Prison Fellowship Rwanda, and Dignity in Detention, the approach concurrently addresses mental health issues, fosters social cohesion, and resilience, and improves livelihoods.
Societal Healing Programme in Rwanda - Brochure
In Rwanda, Interpeace collaborates with the government and non-governmental actors to implement a comprehensive societal healing initiative that encompasses mental health and psychosocial support, social cohesion, and the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners, while also promoting collaborative livelihoods. This program addresses the latent psychological scars left by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, including the heightened prevalence of mental health disorders as identified in the Rwanda Mental Health Survey (2018). This brochure provides an overview of the programme’s interventions and methodologies, as well as the significant impact they are generating at the individual, community, and national levels.
The Societal Healing Programme in Rwanda - Summary of The Annnual Report 2023
This summary highlights the key results, lessons learned and challenges of the Societal Healing programme in Rwanda, implemented by Interpeace and its local partners during the period between January and December 2023. This programme covers Musanze, Nyabihu, Nyamagabe, Nyagatare and Ngoma districts. Overall, 5 163 people were reached (2 540 men; 2 623 women) through various interventions such as 153 healing spaces established in communities, health centres and correctional facilities; activities aimed at strengthening capacities of mental health professionals; social-emotional skills and trauma-informed leadership skills training for local level decision-makers; and interventions focused on improving livelihoods. The programme contributed to fostering mutual healing, reconciliation and community cohesion, promoting economic empowerment of individuals and communities and mitigation of the intergenerational transmission of genocide and other negative legacies.
The power of sociotherapy in prisoner rehabilitation and reentry
In Rwanda, Interpeace, along with its local partners, utilises Sociotherapy to provide psychosocial support care to prisoners and facilitate their reconnection with those they offended, before their release. This approach fosters social cohesion and successful reintegration of prisoners into families and communities, a crucial endevour in nation still grappling with the aftermath of the Genocide against the Tutsi, a tragedy that occurred three decades ago.
