Aegis started with an initial grant of $20,000. Since then, the organization has raised some $30 million and is now one of the leading authorities in the area of genocide prevention. Although relatively small, Aegis has accomplished substantial achievements and continues to support dynamic programs since it was founded in 2000.

  • Bringing dignity and comfort to genocide victims: Aegis established the Kigali Genocide Memorial in 2004, at the request of the Rwandan Government. The Memorial receives 75,000 visitors a year, including local and many notable international visitors such as heads of state and celebrities.
  • Changing policy by working with lawmakers:
    • Parliamentary Network – Working with senior members of Parliament, Aegis established the UK Parliamentary Group on Genocide Prevention in 2005. This forum enables elected representatives from all political parties to share knowledge on genocide-related issues, to work together to push them up the political agenda, and to hold the executive to account for decision-making in this area. Aegis later supported the creation of the second such parliamentary group in Canada.
    • Responsibility to Protect – Aegis took Holocaust and genocide survivors to world capitals with Oxfam in a successful campaign that supported the unanimous adoption of the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ norm related to genocide and other atrocities during the 2005 United Nations World Summit.
    • Legal Changes in the UK – The organization led the successful campaign for changes to UK law in 2010 on genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, ending impunity of genocide suspects by enabling perpetrators of mass atrocities to be held to account in the UK.
  • Developing youth peace ambassadors – Aegis Students was established in the UK and Rwanda in 2005 to engage young people in genocide prevention training during their formative years to support a new generation of leaders with the knowledge and skills to stand against the outbreak of such violence.
  • Following incorporation of the Aegis Trust’s Peace and Values Education Program into Rwanda’s national schools curriculum, Aegis is looking to replicate the program’s success in other countries at risk of genocide.
  • Developing processes and capacity to strengthen research and reconciliation – In 2010, Aegis launched the first digital repository of information about the genocide in Rwanda.