Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  You are very welcome. It was my pleasure. Thank you for having me.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  There are other people in the mix. We're not dealing solely with these women. We found it actually works quite well to incorporate others with them. It helps normalize their experience, actually. Yes, we are dealing with individuals, and probably the youngest would be 25 because

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Not necessarily so, at least that's not been my experience. The majority of the population of Rwanda is between—I can't exactly remember the age range. I think they said 65% of the population would fit into this youth and young adult spectrum. With that being the vast majority o

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  No, there was a huge number that were infected. Also, you have to remember that the Tutsi population was about 10% of the population of Rwanda at the time, just to give you an idea of the numbers. She is definitely an anomaly. There are only two individuals who are still living w

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Sorry about that. One thing that I should mention about Rwandan culture is that women are often valued by the fact that they have children. If you have a child, that's marvellous. If you have 10 children, that's fantastic. That factors in, which might sound very peculiar, quite

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In regard to human resources, I believe that we have a lot of education that can be passed on. Training of trainers is a big thing here in Rwanda and in the DRC. It would be greatly received, very well received, because again, as I said, psychological assistance and psychiatric h

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Do you know? The interesting thing about genocide is that it's all about dehumanizing people. These women have been dehumanized. What gives them a sense of being a part of humanity is walking with another, another investing time and effort in them, and for them to see, “I'm of va

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Education is huge in this area. I'm very pleased to see what is in the high school curriculum, at least what I've seen in Alberta. I think it is extremely helpful, and educating kids is a great place to start.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  There will be a facility for young women later on in the year 2015, a similar facility. It's not solely for children of rape. It is for individuals who have succumbed to drug and alcohol dependency, which many of these kids end up falling into. As far as support goes, I have fo

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  As far as the question about the children goes, we are finding the same thing with the children. They are finding common ground, which brings them together. They become mutually supportive. It's as if the women and the children become one large family. Women will tend to the need

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  We actually have a vision for east Africa. We're now flanking east Africa. No, to be honest, we started in Ethiopia. I came in 2009 with a team of counsellors. The fellow who was helping me lead the team said, “You got blindsided. Of course someone with a maternal heart would be

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'm sorry; I can't answer that question. My understanding is that there is no longer funding available for Rwanda from Canada. That was my understanding as of a couple of years ago.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'm sorry, I don't have the statistics on the number of individuals who are HIV-positive at this point in time. But ARVs are free to those who are HIV-positive. I believe the funding for them comes from the Clinton Foundation. In regard to treatment, ARVs are flexible. There is n

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Canada can provide grants to grassroots NGOs. By grassroots NGOs, I mean those that are really down in the slums working with these individuals and who will commit to long-term work, NGOs connected with locals, with the nationals, that can actually implement the work that needs t

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I am very happy that you said that. I'm very happy that you said all of that. I'm totally in agreement with you. I would also have to say that anyone who visits Rwanda would probably have no understanding of that statistic that you just quoted about 45% poverty. Rwanda puts on a