GISIMBA: A Rwandan Orphanage

The Gisimba Memorial Center Orphanage is a home to nearly 200 orphans in Kigali, Rwanda.  The children range in ages from two through their early twenties.  The children have been placed at Gisimba primarily because their families have been affected by poverty, HIV/AIDS and the 90's genocide.  The staff work to provide the children with their basic needs and rely on the generosity of outside donors and institutions in order to make this possible. 

In November '08, Heather Metcalfe, Founder/Executive Director, visited Gisimba where she gathered video footage of the children and learned not only of their history, but of the orphanages as well.  During the 90's genocide Gisimba served as a safe haven for Tutsi adults who were hidden in the latrines and in the ceilings.  Children from all over were also thrown into the center by friends and family with the hopes that their lives would be saved from the mass slaughtering which took place throughout the country. 

GISIMBA a short film which explores the lives and circumstances of the children who call Gisimba their home was produced in April 2009 and has been used in order to bring the voices of these amazing children back to the States.

GISIMBA:
Director & Co-Producer: Heather Metcalfe
Editor:  Patrick Davison













The GISIMBA Multimedia Exhibits:
GISIMBA, New York Law School, April 2009 (sponsored by the student groups Laywers Without Borders and Stonewall)

GISIMBA: Understanding Through Art, December 2009 (sponsored by Best Buy and in partnership with the students and professors of Parsons The New School for Design)

Artists for Gisimba, June 2009 (sponsored by Hello Living and in partnership with New York City artists)

Through these exhibits Artfully Unforgotten has shared the story of Gisimba with hundreds of viewers and supported the center in the following ways:
cClick on thumbnails to view photos from our the GISIMBA exhibits.