International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda
Today on the annual International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda, Legacy International honors Dr. Lorraine ‘Rain’ Warren.
In 1994, in the space of three months, about 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in Rwanda in what came to be known as the Rwanda genocide. In 1995, the UN called for an outreach program entitled to help prevent future acts of genocide. International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda has been observed each year since 2004, 10 years after the genocide took place.
On March 27, 2017, Dr. Rain Warren presented her dissertation in Depth 
Psychology entitled “Message in the Bones: Survivor Leaders of Genocide Against the Tutsi, 1994” at Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Rain’s research focused on an intimate exploration of the stories of survivors of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. A phenomenological approach was used in the research, employing the lens of depth psychology emphasizing community psychology, liberation psychology, and ecopsychology. Through organic inquiry, a semi-structured interview process was engaged in which survivors recalled their experiences before, during, and after the genocide. This revealed the profound ways in which survivors were impacted by their experience of genocide and how they were led to their calling or work. The following questions were engaged: (a) What was your experience of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi?; (b) What led you to your work?; (c) What did you learn from your experience?; and (d) Having experienced genocide, what is your message to the world? Survivors shared their journeys and how healing can be facilitated through talking about experiences, service, forgiveness, and education about genocide. The researchers’ personal stories, the voice of nature via poetry, and responses to the study by three early readers of the research were also incorporated into the study results. Survivor leaders in Rwanda are empowering, transforming, and healing their families, communities, and nation. Lessons from survivor leaders of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda can assist nations worldwide facing similar atrocities by restoring the bodies, minds, and spirits of citizens and possibly preventing future genocides.
In 2016, Legacy honored Rain with the Service To Peacebuilding Award in recognition of 20 years of exemplary service at the Global Youth Village. Rain is a contributor to the LivingSidebySide® curriculum that Legacy has used with teens from around the globe. In her 20+ years at Global Youth Village, there have been over 2,400 young people who have directly experienced Rain’s peacebuilding workshops and have become change makers in their communities. Many of these young people were from countries experiencing great conflicts, including Bosnia Herzegovina, Iraq, Yemen, Cambodia, and Albania to name a few. She gives skills and hope to the next generation.
Rain Warren is a member of Legacy’s Board of Advisers and is an expert trainer and facilitator with over twenty years designing, implementing and facilitating management, leadership, diversity, conflict management, sexual harassment and cross-cultural education training programs for educational, corporate and community groups in Africa, Asia and Latin American as well as throughout the USA. Specializing in facilitating the development of a common vision and creating harmonious goals with diverse populations she has achieved exceptional results including successfully bringing together children from Jewish and Arab communities to develop a peace dialogue. She has a PHD in Depth Psychology, an MA in Spiritual Psychology, an MA in Student Personnel Services, and a BA in Psychology.
