SURF's Annual Report 2008

About Survivors Fund

Survivors Fund (SURF) is a charity dedicated to aiding and assisting the survivors of the Rwandan genocide. It is the principal international funder of survivors' organisations in Rwanda, and has an advocacy and fundraising office in the UK and a monitoring and evaluation office in Rwanda.

SURF aims to ensure that survivors of the genocide in Rwanda and the UK are supported, memories and victims of the genocide are never forgotten, and that the lessons of the genocide are learned. SURF was founded by Mary Kayitesi Blewitt, other Rwandans based in UK, and concerned British individuals. Although support to survivors dates back to 1995, SURF was formally established and registered with the Charity Commission in 1997.

SURF builds a meaningful and lasting positive effect to the lives of, in particular, those widows and orphans who survived the 1994 genocide. The continued attention, effort and success in supporting such survivors, has been possible because of the commitment of individuals and partner organisations in Rwanda and UK who have supported our work. 90% of our funding is from institutional donors such as Comic Relief; Department for International Development; Sigrid Rausing Trust, Charities Advisory Trust and Network 4 Africa. The other 10% of our funding is from individuals.

SURF is guided by a holistic and integrated approach to support the needs of survivors, as determined by survivors themselves. Any one type of assistance on its own, be it medical, economic or social, would be an incomplete answer. The ultimate goal of SURF is to secure a world in which the rights and dignity of survivors are respected, and where survivors are empowered to rebuild a sense of self and trust in humanity.

Programmes are delivered through partner organisations in Rwanda and the UK, for which SURF is the principal funder including AVEGA, IBUKA and Solace Ministries in Rwanda and Hope Survivors Foundation in the UK.

In 2009, David Russell, was appointed as Director, succeeding Mary Kayitesi Blewitt who continues her involvement in a formal capacity as SURF's Founder.