"During the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, I was in Belgium. During those terrible events, my children disappeared. I
don’t know what happened to them. Are they dead ? Are they alive ? I don’t know. I never stopped looking for them,
even more than twenty years later.
At first, some people thought I was crazy. However I gradually came to realize that I was not the only one who could
not give up. We all need to know what occured to our loved ones. This is a vital issue.
Through the association “Cri du Coeur d’une Mère qui Espère (CCMES) Hopeful Mother’s Call of Heart” my personal
story has become collective."
Founded in 2013 in Rwanda and in 2015 in Belgium, the non-profit association CCMES deals with the impossible
mourning issue.
Indeed, as for Béatrice, how could we continue to live without knowing whether our children are dead or alive? Where
are they ? Deep anxiety is a matter of mental health for genocide survivors.
The objective of CCMES is to assist parents in their search for their children.
Incidentally, some children who disappeared during these events have dispersed across the world. To this days, some are
still searching for their families from whom they have been separated. They cannot properly build their identity without
knowing where they came from.
By cross-referencing all the information at its disposal, CCMES works to reunite scattered families.
In Rwanda a veil of silence hangs over this collective trauma. Fear remains and often prevents people from speaking.
Because of their undying hope for a reunification, people are seen as mentally disturbed and it has turned into a public
health issue. Some stories remain unsolved. The peace that seems to have returned is only a disguise. True peace will
not be possible until there is recognition of some sort of acknowledgement and an attempt to resolve what can be. Both
the Rwandan government and international opinion are struggling to address these complex issues.
The indifference and the silence preventing people and communities from contemplating their future with serenity is not
acceptable. We can do something about it here in Belgium by raising awareness of the Rwandan community but also of
the society as a whole. A movement of opinion here can have an influence on the actions taken by political powers and
public authorities in Rwanda.
CCMES is a non-profit organization founded in Belgium in 2015. This project requires considerable energy and hard
work to operate it. We must face the trauma of the genocide that is affecting both the structures of the country on both a
social and an emotional level. Wounds are deep, shame and silence must be broken. The challenges are many.
– By diffusing this appeal, we hope to raise awareness in Belgium about the little-known issue of the unsolved
disappearances of children and adults during the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda.
– Your signature would bring a significant help to the relief of the oppressive silence that affect this issue ,
Thank you for your support.