A Holistic Approach To Mitigating Post-Genocide Challenges

The war and genocide had a disproportionately strong impact on women as rape, genocide survivors, widows, and heads of households and caretakers of orphans. The aim of this paper is to explore the road and challenges women have taken toward reconstruction and reconciliation. Despite the substantial contribution women have made , they still face a host of challenges that hinder their full contribution to the promotion of peace and reconciliation. Some of the outstanding challenges are linked to women’s subordinate position, the negative consequences of the 1994 genocide and the weak institutional capacity to coordinate and harmonize different peace building initiatives. Also high rates of illiteracy and lack of education undermine women’s confidence and capacity to effectively participate in community and national programs. This paper postulates that given the right incentives and opportunities, women have great potential to participate in peace building and reconciliation process in an effective manner. This requires a holistic, bottom top approach and the recognition of the importance of visionary leadership, exemplified by many Rwandan women.