Visions of Rwanda Photo Project

Godelieve Mukasarasi
Photo by Linda Smith

Godelieve Mukasarasi is a trauma counselor. She runs Sevota, an association for genocide widows and victims of rape. She is a strong advocate of women’s rights and her photographs convey her dedication to the rights of widowed women in Rwanda. 

Godelieve Mukasarasi Godelieve stands between two graves. She lost her two daughters and husband in the 1994 genocide. This young girl was brutally attacked in the 1994 genocide and lost her right eye. A portrait of Godelieve sitting with children. Godelieve counsels widows and orphans in Rwanda. A group of women receive counseling from Sevota.
A mother holding her baby. A memorial site in Rwanda. The remains of a home destroyed in the 1994 genocide. A detainee walks alongside a road. A young girl gives an interview of how she survived the genocide.
A group of women receive counseling from Sevota, a support association for genocide widows and victims of rape which is run by Godelieve. Godelieve photographs a trip that several of the women that she counsels took to Lake Kivu. These trips aim to provide a positive, supportive environment in which the women and children that Sevota ministers to can relax and interact. Children enjoy a game of volleyball on a trip to Lake Kivu. Godelieve photographs Annociata taking pictures of other women. Annociata is one of the twelve participants that took part in Visions of Rwanda project. She is a survivor of the 1994 genocide and receives counseling from Godelieve. A young girl carries her sister on her back.
A family gathers their crops together. Women walking with children on their backs while a car passes by. A house made of wood and mud. A woman that is counseled by Godelieve stands in front of her new home. Several phones are being charged by a single generator. Many people do not have electricity in Rwanda but many people have mobile phones.

Godelieve sits with several children that she counsels.