Rwanda Profile

Rwanda, with its population of 13.78 million (2022), is situated just south of the Equator and bordered by Uganda to its north, Tanzania to its east, Burundi to its south and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to its west. A former German colony, Rwanda became under the control of Belgium after the First World War and became independent in 1962. As with other emerging independent African nations, politics was divided into tribal factions and, following the assassination of President Habyarimana in 1994, ongoing ethnic tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi population erupted in a mass slaughter that led to the killing of an estimated half to one million Rwandans, the equivalent of one in five of the then entire population.

At the time 80% of all children had lost at least one family member. Tens of thousands fled the country for safety and those who did return, did so to broken and distrustful communities where just a few years before neighbours had been killing neighbours. It is difficult to contemplate how any country could sink so far into genocide that over three million of its own children were left orphaned or vulnerable. Despite this bloodbath, Rwanda is now respected as one of the most stable African nations. Yet the mass genocide of the early 1990s has deeply scarred it's soul with one survey finding that a troubling 60% of children did not care if they ever grew up because of their past. The government of Rwanda is outwardly committed to a peaceful existence and is working with other countries and organisations to build a better future being one of the few nations that made significant progress towards its Millennium Goals for 2015, although the infant mortality rate remained higher than its target as did young people's knowledge of AIDS. Extreme poverty also declined, but not to its target level and while today young children are generally receiving sufficient food on average, the extent of stunting suggests that it is not the right food. Despite this, malnutrition rates are falling.

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Rwanda Profile

Rwanda Profile

Rwanda Profile

Rwanda Profile

 


Rwanda History

Rwanda History

A brief history of Rwanda in video and pictures from independence to the Rwanda genocide of 1994.
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Volunteer Rwanda

African Volunteer Work: Rwanda

Check out all the latest fee paying and free volunteer work placements with local projects in Rwanda.
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Kigali Profile

Kigali Profile

A complete profile of Kigali, capital city of Rwanda including a history, tourist attractions and video.
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Rwanda Profile

Rwanda Profile

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Rwanda is in 161st place out of 191 countries and territories in 2021 when ranked in terms of life expectancy, literacy, access to knowledge and the living standards of a country with a life expectancy of 66.07 years (2021.) Poverty in Rwanda is still significant with around 39% of the population living below the poverty line. One contributing factor is that Rwanda suffers from a poor education system where only 68% of first-graders end up completing all six years of primary education. About 80% of Rwandans are dependent on the land for their living although, as farms are split as they are handed down through the generations, farming is becoming increasingly fragmented and around one hundred thousand children work the land to achieve some form of living. For more about Rwanda check out our Rwanda profile pages above.

Rwanda Quiz

Rwanda Quiz

Take our online trivia quiz and see how much you know about Rwanda including some interesting facts about the country.
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