The University of Connecticut will continue its four-part panel and lecture series in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family on October 9th at 4:00 PM in the Student Union Theater on the UConn Campus in Storrs.
Ironically, 2014 not only marks the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, but it is also the 20th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide that resulted in approximately 800,00 Rwandans being massacred in just 100 days, leaving behind tens of thousands of orphans.
The featured speakers will be Solange Nyirasafari, the Executive Director of the Rwanda Youth Healing Center in Rwanda and Tod Fry, Chair of Friends of the Rwanda Youth Healing Center which is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Ms. Nyirasafari, an orphaned survivor of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, will not only tell her personal story about survival, resilience, and recovery, but also describe her country’s efforts to heal itself. An important component of the healing process has been the emergence of reconstructed families where orphans have found hope and support. Ms. Nyirasafari not only joined such a family after the genocide, but now, as a trained social worker, helps other similar families thrive.
This event is being coordinated by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Connecticut. Co-sponsors include the Human Rights Institute, Global Affairs, the School of Social Work, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Office of the Provost.
A reception in SU 104 will follow the lecture.
For more information, contact: Steven Wisensale at steven.wisensale@uconn.edu