Carl Wilkens
Carl Wilkens is a humanitarian made famous by his refusal to leave Rwanda during the genocide in 1994. He was the only American to remain in Rwanda. Carl Wilkens is an American
with a strong tie to Africa first being drawn there as a college student participating in a volunteer program. After graduating college Carl married and the newlyweds moved to Africa
in the early- 1980s where he taught auto mechanics and welding in Zimbabwe. After spending six years teaching in Africa Wilkens returned to the United States where he attended night school at the University of Baltimore and received his MBA. In the spring of 1990 Carl Wilkens along with his wife and three children moved to Rwanda after being offered a position with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). ADRA is a global humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that attempts to create a positive change for people living in poverty and distress through empowering partnerships and responsible action. His first projects as the director of Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Rwanda were development projects. After receiving a grant from Sweden the organization built five different primary schools around the country. At the same time they were working to administer and supply five health clinics with medicines and personnel along with other development projects needed by the clinics.
Wilkens describes Rwanda in 1990 as a peaceful and serene country. Unfortunately, it did not remain that way and in April of 1994 the genocide began. Thousands of expatriates evacuated Rwanda along with most United Nations troops, but Carl Wilkens had refused to abandon those he cared for. After safely evacuating his family, he continued to hold his ground even when close friends, his church and the United States government had begged him to leave. He “insisted on staying in Kigali to try to protect Tutsi friends” explaining that “it just seemed the right thing to do." When asked how he decided to stay in Rwanda he answered “it was a decision that my wife and I made together” and that they both just kind of knew instinctively that it was what he should do.
The Wilkens had Tutsis neighbors and a Tutsi house girl and night watchman working at their home. They knew that these people would be tortured and killed and that they could not simply abandon them. In making his decision Wilkens said “that is where it just hit us, right at the beginning of these people who are right here and then it was on a larger basis, our faith just, we grew up saying we believe that God is there and God cares and we believe that we are Gods’ hands and Gods’ feet." In later interviews Carl attributed his determination and desire to help others to his upbringing in a religious home that had always been open to
others. He pointed out that his home was always open to others saying “we had kids stay with us when there was problems in their home” and that at one point “we actually had twins move in with us when their parents died." Furthermore, Wilkens said that lessons he learned from the Bible about individuals standing up for others had an impact on his work. Therefore, the Wilkens put their faith in God and Carl decided to stay and help his friends.
It was a decision that had constantly put his life on the line. With death threats piling up Wilkens “spent his days talking his way through roadblocks of snarling, drunken soldiers so he could take water and food to orphanages around town." It is said that Carl’s work saved hundreds of lives. Every day he struggled to help others. Streets were weighed down with fighting and gunfire, but he worked to relocate survivors to safe havens and to bring supplies to those in need. He was constantly negotiation and using his connections to organize military escorts and vehicles to pass through roadblocks.
When the genocide ended Carl Wilkens returned to an America that was hear his story. And Carl Wilkens was eager to continue his fight against genocide and human rights violations. In 2004 he was featured in a documentary, Ghosts of Rwanda on PBS Frontline and he was also featured in an American Radio Works documentary The Few Who Stayed: Defying Genocide. Teachers and those who wanted to hear Wilkens speak sent him pleas asking him to come and talk to students and communities. At this point Carl Wilkens had his attention and efforts on the fight against the Darfur genocide, but after realizing that the end was not near in 2008 he quit his job working with high school students and fully dedicated himself to speaking out. In
January 2008 Wilkens began his tour speaking to students, teachers, activists, policy-members and community members.
He speaks of daily life in Rwanda during the genocide with a focus on the people. He points out the “the courage and resilience he witnessed with people facing horrendous choices in the middle of unimaginable slaughter." Many claim that his story “reminds us of the profound connection between history and the moral choices we face each day. It also arms us with new insights in the fight against genocide along with tools and inspiration for re-evaluating the relationships we are part of every day."
with a strong tie to Africa first being drawn there as a college student participating in a volunteer program. After graduating college Carl married and the newlyweds moved to Africa
in the early- 1980s where he taught auto mechanics and welding in Zimbabwe. After spending six years teaching in Africa Wilkens returned to the United States where he attended night school at the University of Baltimore and received his MBA. In the spring of 1990 Carl Wilkens along with his wife and three children moved to Rwanda after being offered a position with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). ADRA is a global humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that attempts to create a positive change for people living in poverty and distress through empowering partnerships and responsible action. His first projects as the director of Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Rwanda were development projects. After receiving a grant from Sweden the organization built five different primary schools around the country. At the same time they were working to administer and supply five health clinics with medicines and personnel along with other development projects needed by the clinics.
Wilkens describes Rwanda in 1990 as a peaceful and serene country. Unfortunately, it did not remain that way and in April of 1994 the genocide began. Thousands of expatriates evacuated Rwanda along with most United Nations troops, but Carl Wilkens had refused to abandon those he cared for. After safely evacuating his family, he continued to hold his ground even when close friends, his church and the United States government had begged him to leave. He “insisted on staying in Kigali to try to protect Tutsi friends” explaining that “it just seemed the right thing to do." When asked how he decided to stay in Rwanda he answered “it was a decision that my wife and I made together” and that they both just kind of knew instinctively that it was what he should do.
The Wilkens had Tutsis neighbors and a Tutsi house girl and night watchman working at their home. They knew that these people would be tortured and killed and that they could not simply abandon them. In making his decision Wilkens said “that is where it just hit us, right at the beginning of these people who are right here and then it was on a larger basis, our faith just, we grew up saying we believe that God is there and God cares and we believe that we are Gods’ hands and Gods’ feet." In later interviews Carl attributed his determination and desire to help others to his upbringing in a religious home that had always been open to
others. He pointed out that his home was always open to others saying “we had kids stay with us when there was problems in their home” and that at one point “we actually had twins move in with us when their parents died." Furthermore, Wilkens said that lessons he learned from the Bible about individuals standing up for others had an impact on his work. Therefore, the Wilkens put their faith in God and Carl decided to stay and help his friends.
It was a decision that had constantly put his life on the line. With death threats piling up Wilkens “spent his days talking his way through roadblocks of snarling, drunken soldiers so he could take water and food to orphanages around town." It is said that Carl’s work saved hundreds of lives. Every day he struggled to help others. Streets were weighed down with fighting and gunfire, but he worked to relocate survivors to safe havens and to bring supplies to those in need. He was constantly negotiation and using his connections to organize military escorts and vehicles to pass through roadblocks.
When the genocide ended Carl Wilkens returned to an America that was hear his story. And Carl Wilkens was eager to continue his fight against genocide and human rights violations. In 2004 he was featured in a documentary, Ghosts of Rwanda on PBS Frontline and he was also featured in an American Radio Works documentary The Few Who Stayed: Defying Genocide. Teachers and those who wanted to hear Wilkens speak sent him pleas asking him to come and talk to students and communities. At this point Carl Wilkens had his attention and efforts on the fight against the Darfur genocide, but after realizing that the end was not near in 2008 he quit his job working with high school students and fully dedicated himself to speaking out. In
January 2008 Wilkens began his tour speaking to students, teachers, activists, policy-members and community members.
He speaks of daily life in Rwanda during the genocide with a focus on the people. He points out the “the courage and resilience he witnessed with people facing horrendous choices in the middle of unimaginable slaughter." Many claim that his story “reminds us of the profound connection between history and the moral choices we face each day. It also arms us with new insights in the fight against genocide along with tools and inspiration for re-evaluating the relationships we are part of every day."
Today Carl Wilkens continues to speak out against genocide reaching people through his speaking tours and non-profit World Outside My Shoes. Carl and his wife Teresa had created this “non-profit educational and professional development organization committed to inspiring and equipping people to enter the world of‘the other’." The organization had also been a response to the requests he received to come and speak about his experiences. To further provide information about the genocide, Carl Wilkens wrote a book, I’m Not Leaving. However, Carl emphasizes that “while the stories written here happened during the genocide, this book is not about genocide. It is about choices people made, actions people took, courage people showed, and acrifices people gave in the face of genocide."
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Carl has argued the importance of sharing his experiences because he knew how stories have affected him. He argues that stories of people in the French underground, during World War II inspired him because it showed him that he could make a difference and he hopes that that is what his stories can do for others. Carl Wilkens is a humanitarian of tremendous courage and determination. He has received awards for his work including the Dignitas Humana Award from Saint John’s School of Theology Seminary and a
2005 Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center and he has touched and inspired people all over the world.
2005 Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center and he has touched and inspired people all over the world.