• News/Events

  • HMD 2010: The Legacy of Hope
  • Hampton Students to honour Rwandan Genocide Victims
  • Flip Flop Shoebox Appeal
  • End of the Genocide Events
  • HSF becomes a member of the Fundraising Standards Board
• Join our mailing list
• Hope Survivors Foundation
  Tel: 07507 360 001
  Email: info@hope-survivors.org.uk

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is commemorated  internationally on 27 January each year.  This date was chosen as it is the anniversary of the day in 1945 on which the Soviet Army liberated the largest Nazi concentration camp – Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Each year the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust urges all of us in the UK to pause and reflect on what can heppen when racism, prejudice and exclusionary behaviour are left unchecked.  On HMD we should take the time to see how the lessons of the past can play a part in our communities today.

HMD provides a time for us to:

• Remember the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, Nazi persecution and those affected by subsequent genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, Bosnia and during the ongoing atrocities in Darfur.
• Ensure that the historical events associated with the Holocaust continue to be regarded as being of fundamental importance.
• Raise awareness and understanding of the events of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides as a continuing issue for all humanity, based on a recognition that it could happen again anywhere and at any time, unless we ensure that our society opposes discrimination, persecution and racism.
• Highlight the values of a society which respects and celebrates the differences between individuals and communities, based upon the notion of universal dignity and responsibilities for all citizens.

HMD is a day for everyone.  It’s an opportunity for all the diverse strands of our communities to come together.  It’s also an opportunity for groups or organisations to remember the past and commit to creating a better future.

Holocaust survivors have played an immense role in bring our attention to the lessons of the Holocaust.  Many have used their experiences in numerous ways to influence our lives and actions today.  The number of survivors who have built their lives, communities and families in the UK are inevitably diminishing, and, as the preservation of their memory.

Hope Survivors Foundation (HSF) offers Rwandan survivors speakers who can share their testimonies about their experiences of facing hatred, discrimination and persecution.  They speak of pain and loss, of strength and survival, of despair and their wish of a Legacy of Hope. 

A number of Rwandan survivors will be speaking at satellite events around the country.  On HMD 2010, we all have an opportunity to become of their Legacy of Hope.