Joshua Wolfaardt’s Perspective 6/21/12
Today my dad and I had the pleasure of visiting the Kimonyi Reconciliation Village where both genocide perpetrators and victims live and work alongside one another. As soon as we exited the car we were greeted joyfully with hugs, dancing, and singing. The elected leader of the village, a genocide perpetrator who killed more than 200 people and had repented asked for forgiveness, came to welcome us to Kimonyi.
One small child instantly grabbed my hand and walked with me for the entire duration of the visit. Dad was dancing amongst the people as they sang. The villagers then took us to see their handiwork made with the sewing machines they were given last year. I was amazed to see the quality of work they accomplish without electric-powered machines!
Next we visited the area where we are hoping the community center will be built. It was a beautiful plot of land. We saw the architectural plans for the building which included an office, storage space, and a workroom for the sewing cooperative—one that will enable them to upgrade to electric machines. As well, other cooperatives such as basket weaving will also be able to work in this area. We are hopeful that we can also draw tourism into the community so that they may make some money. They are already suffering greatly from poverty.
