[en] This article examines the fate of widows survivorsi of the genocide against the Tutsi grouped in the Association of Widows who survived the Genocide-Agahozo (AVEGAii). The following questions were addressed: eighteen years after the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, what have become the widows’ victims of genocide? Did they manage to remake life and adapt themselves to adversity which has been imposed to them by the effects of the genocide? In order to respond to these concerns, we used the literature review, direct observation of the achievements of AVEGA members, semi-structured interviews to 60 widows and 10 key informers including local authorities and AVEGA’s Managers. The study found that the main steps to resilience include (i) psychological reconstruction, (ii) survival and representance which refer to the ability to maintain one alive with a mission to become witness and give courage, support and confidence to those who survived and especially the orphans, and (iii) tutorship efforts which promote the socio-economic conditions of widows. Tutors include the Rwandan Government through the Assistance Fund for Genocide Survivors (FARG) and other public initiatives of poverty reduction, AVEGA association and other NGOs through programs such as the schooling of orphans, housing and health as well as the socio-economic activities that generate income. These activities greatly contributed to these widows’ socio-economic conditions and helped them to feel more self-confident.
