In 2009, the Northwest Province of Rwanda was still struggling to emerge from the devastation and horror of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis and many of the international NGO’s had left the country. It was in this context that Pastor Augustin and three others in the community had the opportunity to train with the African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI) in a program called Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities (HROC). Soon, these four had trained other volunteers and created a core group of facilitators, most of whom continue with CBOPE IHUMURE until this day.  

With the help of a grant from USAID, the Ihumure Peace Association was formed, and their integrated approach was developed. Peace Clubs were formed for specific groups, including women, youth, mediation and reconciliation between former genocidaires and survivors. Initially, the group began by mapping levels of trauma in the community by walking through neighborhoods and speaking to people in their homes.  On the basis of this mapping, people were selected and invited to participate in workshops on trauma healing and reconciliation.

In 2011, the Association began a partnership with African Peace Partners a not-for-profit organization in the United States that has provided both technical assistance in the area of trauma healing as well as funding. With their assistance, we became a local Rwandan NGO and established our own, beautiful peace center and peace academy in Nyundo.