Women convicted of crimes related to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who are nearing the completion of their sentences have welcomed their return to their families, expressing gratitude for the care they received in prison and the lessons preparing them to reintegrate into society.
The month-long programme at Nyamagabe Correctional Facility is jointly organised by the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE) and the Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS).
The women are receiving training on Rwanda’s history, national unity and resilience, civic responsibility, the consequences of the Genocide and measures to combat genocide ideology and divisionism.
They are also being equipped with vocational, mental-health and project-development skills intended to help them earn a living and rebuild their lives after their release.
Some participants said the training had helped them acknowledge their crimes, understand their consequences and prepare to contribute positively to their communities.
Mukamacumu Thérèse, a resident of Nyamasheke District, said she was pleased to be approaching the end of her sentence and that the lessons had changed her outlook on life.
She acknowledged that women involved in the Genocide had failed in their responsibilities as parents and had not protected those who were being persecuted. She said those returning home should help safeguard Rwanda’s achievements and avoid conduct that could lead them back to prison.
Zaninka Olive, from Muhanga District, said she had been sentenced to 19 years but spent most of that period refusing to accept responsibility for her actions.
“For nearly 18 years, I refused to accept that I had committed the crime,” she said.
Zaninka said training provided by MINUBUMWE and RCS eventually helped her recognise her role in identifying a Tutsi who was subsequently killed.
She also expressed gratitude for the treatment she received in prison, saying she had acquired vocational skills, received mental-health support and been prepared to become a responsible citizen.
Other women said they had been treated with dignity and provided with clean and secure accommodation. They also cited being allowed to keep their hair as an example of rights they had not expected to retain while serving their sentences.
RCS Deputy Commissioner General Theos Badege told the women that their behaviour after release would provide the clearest evidence of whether they had understood and embraced the lessons.
He said their conduct would be observed within their families, households and villages, particularly through their ability to act differently from how they had before imprisonment.
Badege explained that the programme seeks to prepare inmates who have spent many years in prison to return successfully to their communities.
He said the Genocide caused immense suffering to Rwanda and also damaged the lives of those who participated in it, meaning nobody benefited from the atrocities.
RCS is working with local authorities and other institutions in the areas where the women will settle to prepare communities to receive and support them.
The inmates are also being taught how to develop income-generating projects and become self-reliant as they resume normal life.
The reintegration programme began in March 2025. More than 2,800 inmates have since participated, including 2,543 men trained at Nyamasheke Correctional Facility and 282 women at Nyamagabe Correctional Facility.
The latest group of 78 women began the ninth edition of the training on August 31, 2026.
RADIOTV10