Drawings by child survivors of genocide Nyamata, Rwanda 1994

Text by Robert Howard: These drawings were presented to Ian Palmer, Tri-services Professor of Defence Psychiatry, during a visit to an orphanage in Rwanda. ‘In 1994, I was the British Army Psychiatrist in Rwanda, indeed the only practicing psychiatrist there for a brief moment in time. As such, various individuals and organizations from non-government organizations (NGOs) to media journalists sought me out. It was the latter who took me to an Italian NGO group who were working with orphans at Nyamata. All had witnessed gruesome genocidal acts and lost family members. The orphanage provided safety, shelter and schooling thereby returning the children to as normal a routine as possible, as quickly as possible. Many adults were unable to listen to the children's stories, as they too were grieving, and so it was that the children helped each other. Within the safety of the orphanage and its routines they were encouraged to first draw their stories and, when ready, share them through play, drama or simple story telling; it seemed to help. I received their permission to show the pictures they gave me; the images speak for themselves’. With thanks to Professor Palmer (ianpalmer@doctors.org.uk) for permission to reproduce the images and for the accompanying details.