Witness tells of genocide

Montville - Tyl Middle School eighth-graders gathered into the auditorium Wednesday morning to hear speaker Carl Wilkens talk about his experience as the only American remaining in Rwanda throughout the 1994 genocide that killed at least 500,000 people.

"Genocide stems from thinking that says 'my world would be better without you in it'," he said.

Wilkens, who now resides in Spokane, Wash., moved to Rwanda in the spring of 1990 with his wife, Teresa, and three young children to work as the head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). Once the genocide began in April of 1994, Wilkens was urged to leave by his church, his friends and the U.S. government.

He refused, and decided he was going to try to save as many lives as he could. His wife and children moved to Burundi, then Kenya to seek safety.

Wilkens told Tyl students about his encounters with Hutu militiamen while trying to safely relocate a group of children from the Gisimba Orphanage to a local church. The men were looking for the orphanage's director, Damas Gisimba, because they believed he was sympathetic to the rival Tutsis.

Wilkens said he managed to stall the militia until the police arrived, then he sought help from Prime Minister Jean Kambanda. He said it was a risk to leave because he feared the militia would kill all of the orphans while he was gone. Another concern was that "many police massacred, joined in with the killing," he said.

Wilkens took the risk, and Kambanda assured him the orphans would be safe; the children made it to their destination unharmed.

"Presence means something," he told students, saying that if he hadn't been there to stall the militia, he believes they would have killed everyone in the orphanage.

"When we see stuff that doesn't seem right, it's up to somebody to decide that things will be different," he said.

Wilkens told the students that they can make a difference in stopping genocide in countries like Sudan.

"We all have this power of choice," he said. "The only way to end genocide is to get rid of 'us-versus-them' thinking."

Wilkens urged students to call members of Congress to talk about Darfur and ask what they will do to help, or to call the Genocide Intervention Network at 1-800-Genocide.

"We need to see a change in the way we look at people in other cultures," Wilkens said. "I think we've got to eradicate the concept of 'the other.' If we can do that, I think there will be change internationally."

Social studies teacher Joel Farrior said his students have been enthusiastic about learning how they can support human rights and other community causes. He asked Wilkens to come speak to the students because they wanted to know more about his life in Rwanda.

"Sometimes eighth-graders are accused of being apathetic, but they're not," he said. "If given an opportunity to help, they'll take it."

Farrior said his students have raised $1,000 for Haiti relief, and another student raised money for a program called "Pennies for Peace" that supports access to education in countries all over the world. Farrior said students also do community service to receive extra credit in his class.

He said right now, the course is focusing on comparing Rwanda and Darfur. Many of the students watched Hotel Rwanda and the documentary "Ghosts of Rwanda," in which Carl Wilkens was interviewed.

"When they watch these things, they start feeling angry and wondering why we haven't done anything to help. I remind them that 'we' includes 'you'," Farrior said. "I focus on what they can do and how I can connect what they can do with something personal."