New Around the Mission
As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative Expands to the US
May 31, 2011
A sister church relationship in Rwanda sparked the idea for Laura Waters Hinson’s Academy Award-winning student documentary As We Forgive. When the film made its Rwandan debut in 2009, the spark ignited a flame to bolster efforts urging forgiveness and reconciliation throughout the country. Today the message spreads beyond Rwanda.
Photo above from left to right: Filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson, Rwandan Ambassador James Kimonyo, AWFRI Co-Founder Andrea McDaniel, AWFRI board member Kelsey Walker. Photo by Whitney Porter.
Students, government employees, ambassadors, clergy and professors were just some of nearly 500 people that turned out for the launch of the As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative (AWFRI) on Thursday, May 25 in Washington, DC. Sponsored by Renew DC and the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, the event is the first in the United States to communicate the success of AWFRI, a grassroots effort that began in 2009 to enhance efforts cultivating forgiveness and reconciliation throughout a country ravaged by genocide.
AWFRI formed following the overwhelming response to the 2009 Rwandan debut of the Academy Award-winning student documentary, As We Forgive, by Laura Waters Hinson. Rwandan leaders granted permission to show the film in every school, prison and village. Partnering with Rwandans already on the ground, the AWFRI team has come alongside to screen the film, teach and facilitate healing discussions. Now the AWFRI team is seeking partnership in the United States to expand the journey.
Photo by Whitney Porter
Tom Walsh, Director of External Relations and Senior Advisor for AIDS Relief at the US Department of State, moderated a panel discussion on the specifics of the initiative with Laura Waters Hinson, Filmmaker; Andrea McDaniel, AWFRI Co-founder; and Jean Michel Habineza, Rwandan Youth Advocate. James Kimonyo, Rwandan Ambassador, greeted the crowd, endorsed the work of AWFRI and encouraged the duplication of their programs in other places.
Participants lingered afterward at a reception featuring live jazz music, food, and drinks.
“This is our first time to introduce AWFRI in the United States”, explains Andrea, “and we are overwhelmed by the number of people that have shown interest.”
For more information about AWFRI look for an expanded story in the upcoming issue of the Wave, due in mailboxes this month.
To get involved with AWFRI, email Matt Haggerty or call (248) 207-4186. For information about financial contributions, visit the AWFRI website. One hundred percent of donations support the work of the As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative.
Learn more about Whitney Porter.
Posted By: Dana Bincer
Categories: Rwanda
