After a plane carrying Rwanda's president Habyarimana crashed on April 6, 1994, a terrible slaughtering targeting at Tutsis and moderate Hutus set in. In no more than 90 days nearly 1 million people were killed., violently and cruelly. A tide of refugees fled to neighbouring countries, above all to the DRC – then Zaire – and settled around Goma, creating a huge humanitarian crisis. In 1996/97 refugees returned home in massive numbers – you may remember the pictures of the roads packed with people carrying what they had left on their heads.

Still today around 80.000 Rwandans are imprisoned for participation in the Genocide, around 30 % of all households are headed by women, mainly widows. 60 % of the population live below the poverty threshold  Children are very much affected. according to an UNICEF survey 99.9 % of all children witnessed   violence and around 70 % witnessed somebody killed or injured. Only a small part of all orphans could be placed in foster families or villages for orphans. A great many still live with their brothers and sisters without adult care or in the streets.

As most of the countries in Central Africa also Rwanda is heavily affected by HIV/Aids. Approximately 13 % of all Rwandans between the age of 15 and 49 are HIV infected.