School Resources

Teaching young people about the history of genocide helps them understand the dangers of othering, racism and polarisation. However, right now, students in UK schools have very little knowledge of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Holocaust Memorial Day Trust found that 81% of 16-24 year olds could not name a genocide since the Holocaust.      Ishami Foundation has over five years of experience providing teaching resources and survivor speakers to schools. We believe that hearing about personal experiences of genocide helps students to learn from the past and commit to building a fairer and more peaceful society today. We have a range of resources to help teachers plan lessons about Rwanda and welcome a genocide survivor into their school.

Curriculum resources for teachers

We have developed three lesson resources in collaboration with researchers at King’s College London and Genocide80Twenty, funded by the AHRC. All three resources begin with a story from the collection 100 Days, 100 Stories: Rwandan Voices on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, edited by Rwandan survivor Jo Ingabire Moys. They are illustrated by the Rwandan artist Chris Rutayisire.The resources align with the national curriculum in England for Key Stages 3 and 4 in History, Citizenship and English. They also relate to learning objectives in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

History

This resource features the story of Imam Bagabo Rashid who rescued Tutsis during the genocide. It encourages learners to think about testimony as a historical source and opens up questions about leadership, religion, culture and ethnicity. It connects well with classes about the Holocaust and issues relating to ethics and religion. Download here.

Citizenship

This resource features the story of Uwamariya Goreth who fell in love with a genocide survivor even though her father was in prison for genocide crimes. It examines identity and discrimination, and how we might change our attitudes and beliefs. It also invites students to consider reconciliation and ways to improve community relations. Download here.

English

This resource features the story of Naila Kira remembering her last day in Rwanda before she was sent to Uganda. She survived the genocide at a distance. Most of her family did not. It invites students to consider non-fiction, testimony, memory, family and changes to perspective in storytelling. Download here

To support working with these lesson resources you may wish to look at our resource on the History of Rwanda, which also features a Q&A with Ishami CEO Eric Murangwa Eugene MBE. This timeline comes from an earlier set of resources produced for the twenty-fifth commemoration – Kwibuka 25 –  in 2019. Download the History of Rwanda resource here. 

Creative Writing

We also have a creative writing resource developed to help students aged 12-16 explore the history of genocide and reflects on their own identities creatively. It includes exercises around how we describe ourselves, why we tell stories about the past, and creating a found poem from survivor stories.
Download here.

Guidelines for hosting survivor speakers in schools

Hearing a survivor speak about their experiences can have a lifelong effect on students. As Andy Lawrence, history teacher at Hampton School says: “While hosting a survivor speaker is daunting and requires a lot of preparation, meeting a survivor is transformative for students. This is what makes it so valuable and worthwhile”.  As part of our collaboration with King’s College London and Genocide80Twenty, we’ve developed guidelines to help you organise and host a survivor visit. 

They include details about:

  • Why invite a survivor speaker?
  • Planning considerations
  • Timelines and tasks for organising a visit
  • How to welcome a survivor on the day
  • And following up after the visit

They answer questions such as: Do I need to pay the survivor? How much do students need to know about genocide before the visit? And how long does a visit take?

The guidelines were developed in consultation with genocide survivors and teachers. Download the guidelines here. 

If you’d like to arrange a Rwandan survivor visit through the Ishami Foundation please visit our Survivor Speakers                                                       page and e-mail info@ishamifoundation.org

We’d like to thank the Arts and Humanities Research Council UK for their support of these resources.