Michael Maisonville is a married father of two living in Alberta, Canada. His wife, Michelle, went on a mission trip to Rwanda and Kenya in 2013 with Home of Hope. Mike has decided to undertake the same mission in May 2015. Follow his journey and support him here.

Saturday 17 May 2014

About Rwanda

Hello readers! For my next post I would like to share some information about Rwanda and Kenya. The two places I will visit next May. I am doing this for two reasons. One, to give me an excuse to do some research and learn about these places, and to share with you where God has called me to serve. This post will focus on Rwanda.


Rwanda is a landlocked country situated in central Africa. Also known as ’the land of a thousand hills’, Rwanda has five volcanoes, twenty-three lakes and numerous rivers, some forming the source of the River Nile. The country lies 75 miles south of the equator in the Tropic of Capricorn, 880 miles ’as the crow flies’ west of the Indian Ocean and 1,250 miles east of the Atlantic Ocean - literally in the heart of Africa. Rwanda is bordered by Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south and the democratic republic of Congo to the west.

Basic Facts

Land Area: 26,338 square Kilometers.

Population: Approx. 12 million (new census to be carried out in August 2012)


In 1994, Rwanda experienced a massive event affecting millions of people. There was a civil war happening which resulted in genocide. Here is some information on that.

The Rwandan Genocide was a genocidal mass slaughter of Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority. During the approximate 100-day period from April 7, 1994 to mid-July, an estimated 500,000–1,000,000 Rwandans were killed,[1] constituting as much as 20% of the country's total population and 70% of the Tutsi then living in Rwanda. The genocide was planned by members of the core political elite known as the akazu, many of whom occupied positions at top levels of the national government. Perpetrators came from the ranks of the Rwandan army, the National Police (gendarmerie), government-backed militias including the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi, and the Hutu civilian population.

Rwandan Genocide
Nyamata Memorial Site 13.jpg
Nyamata Genocide Memorial, Rwanda
LocationRwanda
DateApril 7 – July 15, 1994
TargetTutsi population
Attack type
Genocidemass murder
Deaths500,000–1,000,000[1]
PerpetratorsHutu-led government, Interahamwe andImpuzamugambi militias

There are many victims of the genocide and their families still suffering in Rwanda. I am hoping to help some of those still devastated in the aftermath of this tragedy.

Thank you for reading and following my blog. As always, if you would like to donate to my cause, please click on the links on the right or contact either myself or my wife, Michelle. Also, don't forget about my Tupperware fundraiser going on. For more details, send me a quick e-mail at michael.maisonville@gmail.com and I'll get you all of the info. Thanks and God bless!

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