FORMER CARNOUSTIE High School pupil Suzie Mahr is calling on individuals and businesses to support her latest fund-raising effort to help survivors of the ethnic cleansing in Rwanda in the mid-1990s.

Suzie (24), who now works in the travel business, was a schoolgirl when the world became aware of the full horror of the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes in 1994—when an estimated 800,000 people were killed in the East African country in three months—but she has since become more aware of the impact of events and, through her former guidance teacher Jim Bell, is a firm supporter of the Project Rwanda campaign.

Project Rwanda initially aimed to raise around £20,000 to build five self- sustainable houses in the Bugesera region and, with three houses built, people have donated about £60,000.

The additional funds should let the project provide 10 brick-built houses for the region, with the occupiers being families headed by widows and orphans of the genocide.

Project Rwanda will also help those in the settlements become self-sufficient by buying land, cattle and agricultural equipment.

Suzie will join a team going to Rwanda in March and will also trek into the mountains to see the country’s famous mountain gorillas, but before then she will be undertaking a far less glamorous trek.

She said, “I thought I’d do something a little special to prepare for this so I’m going to do a sponsored walk on Sunday, March 16, from Arbroath to Carnoustie.

“According to the map, that’s 11 miles, which is definitely a challenge for me, and all proceeds will go straight to Project Rwanda.”

To help Suzie Email suzanne.mahr@gmail.com.