THE INITIATIVE FOR INCLUSIVE SECURITY

For Immediate Release                                        
May 12, 2006                        
Contact:  Katie Elbert
Ph:  617. 995.1925

katie_elbert@huntalternatives.org 
                               
Rwandan Leader Paves Way for African Women
Rwandan Senator Voices Concern and Hope for Darfur

WASHINGTON, DC — Rwandan Senator Aloisea Inyumba knows all too well the dark days of genocide.  But, as a leader in her country, she can also shed light on what it takes to recover.  As peacemakers in Darfur work to implement the peace agreement signed last Friday, Rwandans like Aloisea can offer an exclusive perspective regarding the steps necessary to rebuild and regain the confidence of a divided people.  

Senator Inyumba has played a critical role in rebuilding Rwanda over the past ten years.  She has served in high-level political positions such as Governor of Kigali-Ngali Province, and directed a national adoption campaign at the grassroots level.  She has said, “Our major challenge is how do you bring people together who have been taught to think they should be divided;” a test now facing the people of Darfur.

Senator Inyumba will be in Washington, DC until Tuesday, May 16.  To take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to develop a relationship with an important leader who can assist you in evaluating women’s leadership roles in Africa, and the importance of an inclusive Darfur peace and reconciliation process, please contact Katie Elbert at 617.995.1925 or by email at katie_elbert@huntalternatives.org

Aloisea Inyumba is a Senator in Rwanda’s Parliament.  Her responsibilities include implementation of Gacaca, a community justice system to address crimes of genocide.  Prior to election as a Senator, Aloisea served as the Governor of Kigali-Ngali Province, one of Rwanda’s largest and most diverse provinces. Ms. Inyumba has also served in Rwanda’s Unity and Reconciliation Commission, where she organized and oversaw national public debates promoting reconciliation between Hutus and Tutsis in post-genocide Rwanda.  Before her tenure at the Commission, she was the first Minister of Family, Gender, and Social Affairs immediately following the genocide.  She played a key role managing the aftermath of the genocide by overseeing the burial of the dead and the resettlement of refugees, and directing a national adoption campaign.  That campaign reduced the number of genocide orphans in Rwanda from 500,000 to 4,000.  

Aloisea Inyumba’s legacy will be the establishment of a national women’s network to adjudicate family and property issues resulting from the genocide.  She holds an Honors Degree (1988) in Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere University in Uganda, and an honorary doctorate from La Roche College in the United States.  She serves as a member of the board of directors of Women for Women International (Washington, DC, USA), the Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace (Kigali, Rwanda), and Ruhuka, a non-governmental organization that provides trauma counseling (Kigali, Rwanda). She is also a member of The Initiative for Inclusive Security’s Women Waging Peace Network (Boston, USA). Aloisea Inyumba is married with two children.

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The Initiative for Inclusive Security, a program of Hunt Alternatives Fund, advocates for the full participation of all stakeholders, especially women, in peace processes.  Creating sustainable peace is achieved best by a diverse, citizen-driven approach.  Of the many sectors of society currently excluded from peace processes, none is larger—or more critical to success—than women.  Since 1999, Inclusive Security has connected more than 400 women experts with over 3,000 policy shapers to collaborate on fresh, workable solutions to long-standing conflicts across the globe. For more information visit www.WomenWagingPeace.net.

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Katie Elbert
Media Relations Officer
Hunt Alternatives Fund
Ph:  617.995.1925
Cell:  617.803.5755
Fax:  617.995.1982