Having spent almost a decade as Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, she wanted to do something to help people in that country and in the wider ‘Great Lakes’ region (Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda).
Arbia decided to use her prize money to found an organisation dedicated to stopping the recruitment of children into armed conflicts – a problem close to her heart. She transferred the funds to the SI Club San Marino which, twinned with SI Club Kigali, had already developed strong ties with Rwanda, and on 8 November 2014, the Silvana Arbia Foundation was born.
The foundation campaigns to fight poverty, to provide children in the ‘Great Lakes’ countries with access to education and to ensure that their Fundamental Human Rights are respected. It also seeks to reinforce the capacity of women to protect their children against kidnapping, abductions and all other forms of violence.