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Auction lots on the day included a stay at Sir Richard Branson’s private island (rebuilt to its former glory after a fire in August), as well as a Fabergé egg and several pieces of fine art, by Dali, Picasso, Miro and Chagall.
The Aegis Trust is best known for its work in Rwanda, where it is responsible for the Kigali Genocide Memorial; a place of remembrance and education at a site in the nation’s capital where some 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide lie buried. Aegis also founded The Holocaust Centre in Nottingham in 1995 to promote an understanding of the roots of discrimination and prejudice behind genocide and how society can learn from these tragedies. Every year, the Holocaust Centre welcomes some 20,000 visitors.
Glen Ford, of housebuilding research specialist and strategic consultancy HobsonFord, was delighted to support the event: “Aegis works to prevent genocide through education, campaigning, providing advice for policy makers and support for international justice. Last year the charity secured a change in UK law to close loopholes on genocide suspects entering or living in Britain.”
Speakers at the event included Carl Wilkens, the only American aid worker to remain in Rwanda during the genocide, during which he helped to save hundreds of lives; Freddy Mutanguha, Director of Aegis Rwanda, himself a survivor; and Clive Owen, who visited Rwanda with Aegis last year.
“It’s a real privilege to be associated with Aegis,” says Clive Owen, an Ambassador for the charity. “I’ve witnessed its hugely positive impact on the lives of widows and orphans in Rwanda, but massive challenges remain to be addressed by a new generation in that country. Particularly through its education programmes, Aegis is uniquely placed to help Rwanda’s young people rebuild the trust that was destroyed in their parents’ generation – so we should give it all the support we can.”
For more information or to donate to Aegis Trust or The Holocaust Centre visit http://www.aegistrust.org or http://holocaustcentre.net/.
