The Amahoro Project

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Amahoro is the Kinyarwanda word for peace. All Rwandans speak Kinyarwanda, whether of Hutu, Tutsi or Twa heritage. It is the common language of a common people -- thus the word amahoro expresses the potential for Rwandans to reach beyond past divisions to their shared Rwandan identity and embrace peace.

The Amahoro Project is a student initiative composed of five Tufts Institute for Global Leadership students. Manka Angwafo, Jessie Berlin, Nicky Gortzounian, Trevanna Grenfell and Nicki Sobecki spent the 2005 fall semester conducting background research on the history of Rwanda, as well as the socio-economic and geopolitical dynamics shaping contemporary Rwandan society and politics. The team visited significant cultural, historical and memorial sites throughout the country. In order to gain firsthand information on the topic of Obstacles and Advances in Rwandan Reconstruction, they also met with leaders from community, national and international non-governmental organizations, women and youth advocates, political figures, genocide victims and perpetrators, educators and judicial system representatives. Through the Amahoro Project, these students were able to engage the issues facing Rwanda's path toward peace on a direct, human level. The project's aim is now to mobilize Tufts students in formulating proactive, sustainable approaches toward peace-building and development efforts in sub-Saharan Africa.

The AMAHORO website will be available shortly >>