HIHD History: HIHD was founded in 2012 by good-hearted people motivated by the disarray and precarious situations through which people lived especially those orphans,widows, people living with albinism, girls heads of households as a result from the hard times and civil wars that Rwanda passed through before and after colonization period. These led to excessive unemployment youth and severe conditions for marginalized groups; therefore, there was strong need to reintegrate them socially and economically in developing vocational skills; providing training and awareness campaigns on peace building, human rights and ensuring education and innovation in job creation.

HIHD VISION: A society and future where Persons with Disabilities, Vulnerable Women and Children enjoy equal human rights, opportunities and full participation as other citizens.

HIHID MISSION: To Effectively Empower, Promote and Strengthen Rights and Capacities of PWD/PWA, Vulnerable Women, Teen Mothers, Children and Youth for inclusiveness in Education, Health and Employability.

HIHD CORE VALUES:

• Good governance
• Transparency
• Accountability
• Diversity
• Equity
• Empathy

OBJECTIVES

Objectives 1:   To improve the livelihoods (socio-economic, education etc) of PWDs/ PWA, vulnerable women, teen mothers, children (especially, Children with Albinism, OVC – Orphans and Vulnerable Children) and; vulnerable communities.

Objectives 2:   To combat societal stigma and discrimination targeting PWDs/PWA.

Objectives 3:   To improve the health for Women, PWDs /PWA and children through strengthening WASH, mental health, proper nutrition, sexual reproductive health and environmental protection/climate change initiatives.

Objectives 4:   To increase advocacy platforms for PWDs/PWA, women, children (especially, Children with Albinism, OVC – Orphans and Vulnerable Children) and vulnerable communities through peace building, conflict management, human rights and access to justice especially legal aid.

Objectives 5:   To Institutionalize HIHD at national level and strengthen HIHD organizational structure

To attain those goals, HIHD embarked on a mission of effectively empowering PWDs/PWA and vulnerable women through capacity building, economic empowerment, education and community engagement. This mission has evolved over time and has included other districts. HIHD works towards achieving this mission through;

1. Education:  Assisting in educating children from poor, vulnerable families and children with albinism disability so as to increase their school attendance and reduce their school dropout rates due lack of inclusive education.
2. Health:  Assisting people from poor, vulnerable families and people with albinism disability to have access to health services as well as improving their health conditions. All in a bid to Prevent of skin cancer among PWA, improved nutritional status in communities; provide palliative care and reproductive health services; provide medical assistance to PWA.
3. Economic Empowerment:  Building, equipping and strengthening capacities for youth, women, young mothers and PWA groups for entrepreneurial and vocational skills through provision of toolkits to run and boost their IGAs and livelihoods.
4. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH):  Construction of rainwater catchment systems so as increase access to clean water in communities of historically marginalized people more still reduce unsafe water related illnesses in the community thereby improving overall hygiene and sanitation in the community.
5. Human Rights:  Establishing and strengthening advocacy platforms for PWDs/PWA, vulnerable women and teen mothers through human rights and access to justice especially legal aid. This is ensured through awareness campaigns such as celebrating albinism international awareness day, conducting albinism awareness campaigns so as to enable PWA have access to education and other potential opportunities available in the community.
6. Environmental Protection:  Contributing to climate change through raising awareness of an emerging factor “Climate Change” that is affecting our environments at a greater extent. This is done through designing activities that will contribute to reduction of its effects on the environment e.g through awareness campaigns on environmental protection and social mobilization on climate change

APPROACH: To achieve our success, we initiate our projects at community level, they become community driven projects. They are community members who are benefiting from the project at the same time changing living conditions in their community and contributing to its development. Our goal is not just to get a change, but to make sure it’s a long-lasting community driven change with a great foundation.

Genocide

The genocide against the Tutsi in RWANDA, was a mass slaughter of Tutsi, Twa, and moderate Hutu in Rwanda, which took place between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. The genocide was organised by members of the core Hutu political elite, many of whom occupied positions at top levels of the national government. Most historians agree that a genocide against the Tutsi had been planned for at least a year. However, the assassination of Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana on 6 April 1994 created a power vacuum and ended peace accords. Genocidal killings began the following day when soldiers, police, and militia executed key Tutsi and moderate Hutu military and political leaders. The scale and brutality of the massacre caused shock worldwide, but Western nations such as Belgium, France, the U.S., and others ignored the genocide. Most of the victims were killed in their own villages or towns, many by their neighbors and fellow villagers. Hutu gangs searched out victims hiding in churches and school buildings. The militia murdered victims with machetes and rifles. An estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed, about 70% of the Tutsi population. Sexual violence was rife, with an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 women raped during the genocide. The genocide ended with the military victory of the Rwandan Patriotic Front. The genocide had lasting and profound effects on Rwanda and neighbouring countries. Today, Rwanda has two public holidays to mourn the genocide, and denial or historic revisionism of the genocide is a criminal offence. As a result of the genocide, nations collaborated to establish the International Criminal Court.