{"id":2000119524,"date":"2026-07-17T12:24:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000119524"},"modified":"2026-07-17T12:24:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:24:36","slug":"angelina-jolie-inspired-by-resilience-of-genocide-survivors-during-rwanda-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/angelina-jolie-inspired-by-resilience-of-genocide-survivors-during-rwanda-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"Angelina Jolie inspired by resilience of genocide survivors during Rwanda visit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a post shared on Instagram, the American actress described her visit to the Imboni cooperative in Gikomero, where women collectively run a farm that has become a symbol of recovery, economic empowerment and community-led development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I recently visited the Imboni cooperative, a farm in Gikomero, Rwanda, run collectively by the women who work the land, and left deeply inspired by everyone I met there,” Jolie wrote on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that many of the cooperative’s members are survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed more than a million lives and left countless women and families deeply affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jolie explained that for years, the women relied on farming rented swampland to feed their families, often earning less than one dollar a day while facing repeated crop losses caused by heavy rains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The actress credited the cooperative’s transformation to the work of the Legacy of War Foundation, led by her longtime friend Giles Duley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The American actress described her visit to the Imboni cooperative in Gikomero, where women collectively run a farm that has become a symbol of recovery, economic empowerment and community-led development.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to Jolie, the foundation purchases fertile farmland and transfers ownership to survivors of conflict while supporting them to become profitable, climate-smart farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said the initiative has enabled the women to improve their livelihoods tremendously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These women have taken this land and built something incredible. In five years, they’ve gone from laborers to landowners, increasing their income fivefold and sending over 90 of their children back to school,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describing the visit as deeply meaningful, Jolie said the experience reinforced her belief in community-driven development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was a deeply meaningful visit, and we’re grateful for the time they spent with us. It was a strong reminder that local leadership is always the best way forward,” she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jolie has spent more than two decades involved in humanitarian work alongside her film career. She previously served as Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), advocating for displaced people, women and children through visits to conflict zones and refugee camps around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Duley, the Chief Executive Officer of the Legacy of War Foundation, is an award-winning photographer, writer, chef and presenter whose work focuses on the long-term humanitarian impact of conflict. Through the foundation, he has championed projects that help communities affected by war rebuild sustainable livelihoods and regain economic independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Angelina Jolie (@angelinajolie)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n