The Aegis Trust, founded in 2000, is the British
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
which campaigns to prevent
genocide
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the L ...
worldwide. Based at the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
's Holocaust Centre, which opened in 1995, the Aegis Trust coordinates the UK Genocide Prevention All-Party Parliamentary Group, funds the
Genocide Prevention Group (Canada) The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and other Crimes Against Humanity (the Genocide Prevention Group) is an informal group of Parliamentarians composed of members from all parties in the House of Commons of Canada and t ...
and is responsible for the
Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre
The Kigali Genocide Memorial commemorates the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The remains of over 250,000 people are interred there.
There is a visitor centre for students and others wishing to understand the events leading up to the genocide that occurr ...
in
Rwanda, which commemorates the 1994 genocide and is central to education of a new generation about the dangers of ethnic division.
History
The Aegis Trust was founded by brothers James and Stephen Smith, as a progression from their establishment of
Beth Shalom, the UK Holocaust Memorial Centre, in 1995. The outbreak of the Kosovo crisis in 1999 provided the catalyst for the development of Aegis. Troubled by the repetition of genocidal violence, the Smiths responded by initiating a regional aid appeal in the East Midlands. In 2002, Aegis hosted a joint conference with the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Aegis' work follows three strands: education, protection and survivor support.
Aegis Trust Award
Created in 2002 by the Aegis Trust, the Aegis Trust Award is made "for
altruism
Altruism is the moral principle, principle and moral courage, moral practice of concern for the welfare and/or happiness of other human kind, human beings or animals, resulting in a quality of life both material and spirituality, spiritual. It ...
,