In the Rwandan genocide of 1994 , the Damas and Jean-Francois Gisimba ( the founder 's sons ) along with American aide worker Carl Wilkens help hide and save 400 children , and even more adults , within the orphanage from the '' Interahamwe '' , or Hutu militia . On November 21 , 2017 , the former orphanage officially changed its mission . In a statement to the press , the director said , " We have turned the orphanage to Gisimba after School Initiative – it is a training centre which will bring the youth together for several entertainment and education activities . " Brandon Stanton , the creator of Humans of New York , visited Rwanda in September 2018 . Beginning on October 16 , 2018 , he began covering the genocide on his site through a series of interviews and photos from persons who were affected . On his site , he stated his objective : " During my week in Rwanda , I focused on the stories of people who took a moral stand during the genocide . These are members of the Hutu majority who risked their lives to shield and protect Tutsis . In Rwanda they are known as ‘ The Rescuers . ' " In conjunction with the series , he hosted a GoFundMe campaign to benefit the Gisimba Memorial Centre in Rwanda and the planned the yet-to-be-built Gisimba House in Uganda . He supplemented the campaign with $ 13,000 from HONY 's Patreon fund , as well as with $ 1 for every donation beyond the 5,000 th donation . The campaign reached its goal of $ 200,000 in 18 hours ,
Rwandan genocide
Rwandan genocide
Gisimba Memorial Centre