Edinburgh woman sets up charity after moving visit to Rwanda

Published on Wednesday 18 November 2009 09:20

A LOCAL businesswoman has vowed to raise £1 million for victims of the Rwandan genocide after starting up her own charity.

Jackie Calder, from Liberton, set up Wish For Rwanda after visiting the orphans and widows of one of the world's worst mass murders.

She was so touched by the tales of the survivors of the 100-day massacre, which saw up to one million people tortured and killed in 1994, she has now organised a number of high-profile events to begin building up cash to aid the starving and homeless.

Events organiser Ms Calder, 56, who visited Rwanda in March, said: "I couldn't believe the stories the survivors told me. They are traumatised and also suffer survivor guilt.

"The women were degraded by terrible violence and rape and now they are living on the streets with huge families because a lot of them adopted orphans of the massacre.

"The scale of the devastation was equivalent to the 9/11 attack happening three times every day for 100 days, but the Rwandan people are still hopeful. It was very inspiring and I felt I had to help them rebuild their lives."

Between April and June 1994, an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed amid growing ethnic tensions between Tutsis and Hutus.

Wish For Rwanda, which recently achieved charitable status, is kicking off its fundraising on 28 November with a luxury lunch and fashion show at the Balmoral hotel.

Ms Calder, who in the past has raised money for breast cancer charity Booby Birds, having beaten cancer herself, and the NSPCC, said she was confident she would raise 1m – a pound for each victim of the genocide.

She said: "The first chunk of money will go towards a health centre in Gasabo, where the country is currently building a complex they call the Village of Hope. They are creating housing for victims of the genocide and we want to contribute to this."

She added: "I know I'll hit the 1m mark. We'll keep plugging away until we've made enough money to make a real difference."

Upcoming events also include a ball at Prestonfield House and two official launch events in early 2010. Ms Calder said: "We want to host an event in Edinburgh and in London because we're looking to give this charity national status."

Those interesting in helping the charity or buying a ticket for the Balmoral event can visit www.wish forrwanda.com. Tickets cost 60.