12/31/2025
Sharing GSF's Founder's End Of The Year Message below.
If you are able to support our work to fight all forms of hate & extremism and provide urgent and critical support to genocide survivors, please consider making an end of the year contribution to keep our work going in 2026. Thank you so much in advance.
Dear friends,
As in the year before, the state of our world remains deeply troubling. Each day brings new headlines of violence, conflict, and human suffering. Hate and extremist ideologies continue to grow at an alarming rate – particularly online – and the real-world violence they inspire follows closely behind.
Many of us feel overwhelmed and exhausted – physically, emotionally, and psychologically – by the relentless exposure to this reality. For survivors of genocide and other hate-motivated violence, these global developments do more than distress; they reopen deep wounds. Trauma and fear are compounded, leaving many feeling powerless in the face of such immense and ongoing suffering.
What makes this moment even more unsettling is not only the rise of hate, but its normalization. We are witnessing attempts to justify hate-motivated violence and, in some cases, to openly encourage it – both online and offline. At the same time, historical truths are increasingly questioned and placed on equal footing with misinformation and disinformation.
We are also living through a breakdown in how we communicate with one another. Civil disagreement has become rare. Listening, learning, and empathy are too often replaced by division, labeling, and cancellation. Things many of us once took for granted – logic and reasoning, compassion for those who suffer, and basic human decency – feel under threat.
For those of us working in genocide prevention and human rights, there are many reasons to feel helpless. But helplessness is a luxury we cannot afford. We must remain steadfast in the belief that light can – and must – overcome darkness. Even as we confront our own fatigue, we are called to continue contributing to a more just, peaceful, and humane world.
At GSF, our commitment has never been stronger. We remain dedicated to combating racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and all forms of hate and extremism. At the same time, we draw daily inspiration from the courage and resilience of the genocide survivors we serve. Their strength fuels our resolve to provide them with the comprehensive and compassionate support they deserve. Thank you for standing with us – especially in times like these.
As we have done in years past, we shared a few highlights from our 2025 activities, along with words of impact and gratitude from some of the genocide survivors and children of survivors we support on our website.
With your continued partnership, we hope to expand our educational efforts to counter hate and extremism, promote peaceful coexistence, and provide urgent, life-sustaining support to survivors in the year ahead.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Murekatete
Founder
Genocide Survivors Foundation
