Pauline Latham OBE MP, Mid Derbyshire, has tried to help create an inter-school genocide awareness project between Hampton School in Middlesex and a secondary school in Mid Derbyshire.
The venture aims to raise awareness about the genocide of the Tutsi people in Rwanda in 1994, in which an estimated 1,000,000 people were killed, after research from Hampton School surveying almost 1000 pupils found that nearly 80% of secondary school students had not heard of the genocide.
Mrs Latham personally wrote to five relevant secondary schools in Mid Debryshire to tell them about the project, and urge them to take part in it. Commenting, she said:
“I was delighted to try and help facilitate what would be an extremely valuable educational partnership project between Mid Derbyshire and Middlesex.
As well exposing both schools to each other’s learning techniques, in the hopes of mutual benefit, the project also offers an important opportunity to educate Mid Derbyshire children about this tragic genocide.
Having been to Rwanda on a number of occasions I am aware of the appalling situation which so many lived through. It is important that the younger population is aware of what happened so that, as well as paying testament to lives lost, we can help prevent these terrifying circumstances from occurring again”.