Since the 1994 genocide that killed approximately one million people, Rwanda has moved to rehabilitate devastated infrastructure, restore social norms and, finally, embark on a long-term development strategy. The country has worked to demobilize and reintegrate waves of ex-combatants and, to date, about 3.5 million Rwandan refugees have been repatriated and resettled, in a country with a total population of 8 million. Extensive economic and governance reforms undertaken between 1995 and 2005 contributed to GDP growth rates in Rwanda averaging over 7.5 percent per year.

Speaking at an Africa Multi-Country Aids Programme meeting in Kigali in June 2007, the First Lady Jeannette Kagame called for more interventions to save lives and hailed international organisations for their support in prevention against the pandemic. “I applaud the World Bank and other organisations for their continued support in assisting Rwanda against HIV and Aids.” Read news story (The New Times).

A new World Bank report on HIV/AIDS launched in Kigali says the mobilization of “grassroots” communities, along with condoms and life-saving treatments, are beginning to slow the pace of the epidemic in Africa. Watch video below.