{Ecobank employees and staff last week visited Ntarama memorial where they paid tribute to more than 5000 Tutsi killed during the 1994 genocide against Tutsi.}
Victims at this memorial were killed after torture, with bullets, grenades and traditional arms including machetes and big sticks.
An employee of the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG) at Ntarama memorial, Umuganwa Marie Chantal explained that Tutsi were killed at Ntarama church as they sought refuge thinking they had escaped raids of Interahamwe from various hills around Ntarama church. The Tutsi, she explained, had started fleeing to Ntarama on April 9th, 1994.
Umuganwa said that many Tutsi were forcibly brought to live in Bugesera so that they could be killed by sleeping-sickness caused by tsetse flies.
After walking paying their tributes, Ecobank employees donated Rwf 1,000,000 to renovate the memorial which was followed by the visit to ‘Amizero’, a the village of genocide orphans where they donated more Rwf 3,000,000 to renovate two destroyed houses.
The country manager of Ecobank in Rwanda, Ndiaye Mareme Mbaye said that as a financial institution, their tasks go beyond business transactions and have responsibilities of supporting widows and orphans.
“The donations do not mark our engagement with them; we will continue to support them in ways possible,” he said.
Mukamugema Melanie, one of Ecobank employee said that the act of visiting memorials, orphans and widows is annually held to join Rwandans during the commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
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