Newsletter 7 Mukomeze Foundation December 2011

December 2011
Newsletter (No.7)
This is the seventh newsletter of the Mukomeze Foundation. The Mukomeze Foundation aims to improve the standard of life of
women and girls who survived rape and other forms of sexual violence during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The newsletter will be published two to three times a year.
Mama Lambert in The Netherlands
Last August we had Mama Lambert, a counselor at our partner organization Solace Ministries in
Rwanda, over for a visit. During her visit, she was able to speak about her work at the Rotary Vught
(August 3) and the ‘Opstandingskerk’ in Tilburg (August 7). As a counselor she counsels genocide
survivors to cope with their trauma. Mama Lambert, whose real name is Beata Mukarubuga, is a
survivor of the genocide herself. During the genocide, she lost her husband and five of her eight
children, as well as many other relatives.
Despite everything she has experienced, she found the strength to go on with life after she joined
the genocide survivors run organization Solace Ministries. After being counseled for several years
and having worked as a volunteer at Solace Ministries, she became a counselor for other survivors
who seek for her help and support. On the 14th of August, Mukomeze organised a reception in honor of Mama Lamberts visit, together with the sponsors and donors of the Mukomeze foundation.
See our facebook page for pictures of Mama Lamberts presentation at Rotary Vught and the
‘Opstandingskerk’ in Tilburg.
Presentation at KVO Ulvenhout
Nightuniversity in honor of War Mothers
During the autumn meeting of KVO Ulvenhout on the 3rd of October, Mukomeze gave a presentation about the work we do for Rwandan survivors of sexual violence. Afterwards handicrafts (including
necklaces, earrings and Christmas cards), made by Rwandan women,
were sold. Read the full report of KVO Ulvenhout here.
The Night University is an event on the 22nd of December, organized by Tilburg University. The purpose of this event is to
raise money for 3FM Serious Request’s theme: “War Mothers”.
With the money raised 3FM hopes to support mothers - including women who become mothers as a result of rape during
the war - to rebuild their lives after the conflict.
The work of Mukomeze is in line with this theme, and we will
therefore be present during this evening. Our contribution to
the program of the Night University is a presentation and the
photo-exhibition “The Men Who Killed Me”. Furthermore, there will be all kinds of workshops and performances. So join us
on December 22 and help war mothers get a better future!
New board member Mukomeze
Since July 2011 Pinar Okur joined Mukomeze as a
new board member. She is responsible for PR.
Pinar has studied developmental psychology and
criminology at the University of Utrecht. Currently she is doing her PhD at Tilburg University on
the topic “The role of ethnicity in sexual abuse; a
comparative study among adolescents with a
Western and non-Western background.”
Beside her studies Pinar has worked as a hostess
for several years at different programs of the Vara and did PR tasks
in her students’ union.
Pinar: “When I heard of the vacancy at Mukomeze, I didn’t need to
think twice. With my interest in the topic, combined with my
background, I hope I can be of added value for the team. I am really
excited about it!”
For more information, visit http://www.nachtuniversiteit.nl.
Join Mukomeze on Facebook!
Questions or comments? Email us at [email protected].
If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter send an e-mail to [email protected].
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December 2011
Newsletter (7)
Vacancy board member ‘Sponsorships and Funding’
The Mukomeze Foundation is looking for an enthusiastic board member to coordinate the sponsorships in close collaboration with our
partner organization in Rwanda and to organize the fundraising. A reasonable command of English is required and experience in fundraising is an advantage. If you are interested, please contact us: [email protected].
Imperial Tobacco The Netherlands supports Mukomeze
Mukomeze goes to Rwanda
In February 2012 the entire
board of Mukomeze will, on
their own expenses, pay a 10day visit to the partner organization Solace Ministries in
Rwanda.
Last summer, Imperial Tobacco The Netherlands raised money for
Mukomeze. In a soccer match against Imperial Tobacco Belgium,
they competed in order to get as much money as possible. Although they did not win the game, they were able to gather €1320;
a fantastic achievement!
With this money a second fruit project for the Nyanza community
in the south of Rwanda, (consisting of 685 families) will be funded.
This community has many women who have suffered sexual violence, including at least 20 women who are tested HIV positive.
With the land that will be purchased, seeds of mango, avocado and
orange plants and/or trees will be planted. The cuttings will then
be distributed among the women in the community. They will also
get a training on how to take care of the plants. The fruit will provide in both food and income for these women. Especially for HIV
infected women good nutrition is of vital importance, because they
need to be in good health for the medication they use.
‘The Men Who Killed Me’ in the 8 o’clock news
During the 8 o’clock news of 24 June 2011 (NOS, Nederland 1) quotes from the book "The Men Who Killed Me" were read while pictures from the book were shown.
This had to do with the conviction for genocide by
former minister Pauline Nyiramasuhuko by the
Rwanda Tribunal. The proceeds of this book go to
Mukomeze. To see the news excerpt, the accompanying article "Rape as a slow genocide” and the
radio interview, click here. Similarly, there was a
television interview on this matter on NOS at 3.
During this visit, the progress of the projects will be examined.
Mukomeze will also meet a large number of sponsored women
to see how they are doing. Furthermore, the planning and cooperation with Solace Ministries for the coming period will be
discussed. For a few board members this will be the first time
they visit Rwanda. The next newsletter will of course report
about the undoubtedly impressive experiences.
Order your Christmas cards now!
You can now order Christmas cards at Mukomeze. The cards are
made by Rwandan women survivors of the genocide, who generate income by producing these cards. The cards contain illustrations made of banana leaves. One set of 5 cards costs €10.
Send an e-mail to [email protected] to order the cards.
Activities 2011-2012
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Invite us...
We are happy to give a presentation about the work we do to support Rwandan survivors of sexual violence. Send us an e- mail at
[email protected] in case you want to know more!
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December 1, 2011 - January 15, 2012:
Photo- exhibition "The Men Who Killed Me" in Zwijsen
building, Tilburg University
December 7, 2011:
Lecture at Soroptimist Club Bommelerwaard (postponed)
December 22, 2011:
Presentation, film and sale of handicrafts (made by Rwandan women) during the Night University, Tilburg University campus
February 2012:
Mukomeze in Rwanda
Make the difference: support a Rwandan woman today! For more information, go to our website .
Contactdetails Mukomeze Foundation (secretariat):
[email protected] · www.mukomeze.nl · bankaccount number: 1435.58.927
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