Jacqueline Murekatete survived the Rwandan genocide
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When Jacqueline Murekatete was nine years old, she survived one of the most traumatic ordeals a child may ever experience. Her family, mother, father, siblings and other relatives, were all killed in the Rwandan genocide that claimed over one million lives in a few shorts weeks, FastCompany.com reports.
Murekatete is a Tutsi, the ethnic group that was targeted by the Hutu population of the country for extermination, and she remembers what it was like living through the event, and how it has shaped her mission in life.
She came to the United States after being granted political asylum to live with her uncle, and has chosen to speak out about her experience and educate others about what went on, and how it can be prevented.
"I suffered through things that no human being should have to experience and people need to know what happened," she told the news source.
The courageous young woman graduated from New York University, and is now in her second year of law school. She starteda not-for-profit organization in 2007, Jacqueline's Human Rights Corner, which is dedicated to molding young people to be leaders of tomorrow.
She helped raise funds to build a community center in Rwanda, and will be returning to the country this December for the first time since the genocide to see the center. It provides counseling and workshops for people, educating them about the genocide, racism, anti-Semitism and hate, and how they have the power to change all of that.
The Survivors Fund (SURF) was founded in 1997 and has been assisting survivors of the Rwandan genocide recover and rebuild their lives since the tragedies of 1994.
SURF distributes financial assistance to groups, individuals and charitable organizations who work with the day-to-day operations of helping the Rwandan people and to provide safe living conditions.
The organization provides support for survivors through educational and vocational training, helping them find shelter, providing legal assistance, and HIV/AIDS education and support.
Murekatete is a Tutsi, the ethnic group that was targeted by the Hutu population of the country for extermination, and she remembers what it was like living through the event, and how it has shaped her mission in life.
She came to the United States after being granted political asylum to live with her uncle, and has chosen to speak out about her experience and educate others about what went on, and how it can be prevented.
"I suffered through things that no human being should have to experience and people need to know what happened," she told the news source.
The courageous young woman graduated from New York University, and is now in her second year of law school. She starteda not-for-profit organization in 2007, Jacqueline's Human Rights Corner, which is dedicated to molding young people to be leaders of tomorrow.
She helped raise funds to build a community center in Rwanda, and will be returning to the country this December for the first time since the genocide to see the center. It provides counseling and workshops for people, educating them about the genocide, racism, anti-Semitism and hate, and how they have the power to change all of that.
The Survivors Fund (SURF) was founded in 1997 and has been assisting survivors of the Rwandan genocide recover and rebuild their lives since the tragedies of 1994.
SURF distributes financial assistance to groups, individuals and charitable organizations who work with the day-to-day operations of helping the Rwandan people and to provide safe living conditions.
The organization provides support for survivors through educational and vocational training, helping them find shelter, providing legal assistance, and HIV/AIDS education and support.
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