Rwanda's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Johnson Busingye, has lauded UK-based initiatives that are working to support survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi, as well as contributing to peace-building in Rwanda.
Earlier this week, Busingye visited Nottingham, a city in the midlands region of the United Kingdom, where he participated in some activities including visiting "Kigali Coffee," a UK-based cafe serving specialty single-origin Rwandan coffee in Nottingham city centre, as well as selling merchandise emblazoned with the cafe's name "Kigali".
Along with Aegis Trust CEO James Smith, Busingye also visited six of the White Rose recycled fashion stores.
White Rose is a growing social enterprise with ambitious expansion plans to grow well beyond Nottingham. The proceeds from their second-hand fashion stores go to supporting the work of the Aegis Trust.
Fliers in their shopfronts explain to customers how they use the voices of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to shape and lead Aegis' peacebuilding education campaigns.
"This is an incredible operation. Supporting sustainable livelihoods and responding to climate change, you're creating a family and it's growing. This is a global vision which is serving a great cause in Rwanda and building peace internationally. A hundred years from now, this family will still be growing." Busingye said.
Greg Campher, the Director of Kigali Coffee is a huge fan of Rwandan coffee and makes regular trips to meet growers, and is also working with the Aegis Trust on a new specialty coffee social enterprise called 'Good Human Coffee', which is sourced from Muyumbu Washing Station in Rwanda's Eastern Province.
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In the coming days a container of Rwandan coffee is expected to arrive in Nottingham as the project gains momentum and Rwandan coffee reaches the taste buds of more and more UK consumers.
Nottingham is home to around 330,000 people, including a student population from the city's two top universities.
The city is also the birthplace of the Aegis Trust, a British NGO which campaigns to prevent genocide worldwide. Aegis Trust collaborated with Rwandan authorities to establish the Kigali Genocide Memorial in 2004 and has continued to work on peace education programmes in Rwanda, Central African Republic and beyond.
"It's been a real privilege to introduce His Excellency Johnston Busingye to the birthplace of the Aegis Trust, and to the development of White Rose and Good Human Coffee," said James Smith.
"Developed at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Peace and Values Education has global relevance. We look forward to helping peace education become Rwanda's most valuable export," he added.
