This small East African country was transformed into a state in which neighbour turned against neighbour, friend turned on friend, and far from looking after its people the government actively sought to murder them.

Around 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were systematically slaughtered in an organised campaign to rid the country of what the Hutu supremacist government termed the ‘cockroaches’ – and while genocide was pursued, the international community stood by and did nothing to stop the violence.

I have never met a Rwandan who was not personally touched by the genocide in some way and this week, 15 years on, their memories will still be raw.

But Rwanda has come a long way and there is lots to be hopeful about.  Economically it is growing strongly, and politically Rwanda even leads the world in having the highest proportion of female MPs in its Parliament.  Development is firmly on the agenda and, working in partnership, the national government and the international community are making steady progress in helping Rwanda’s ten million citizens to work their way out of poverty.

Many Conservatives have seen for themselves how far Rwanda has come when they have joined in with Project Umubano, the Conservative Party’s social action project that started in 2007.  Volunteers have learned at first-hand about the realities of life in Rwanda while imparting their own skills and leaving a lasting legacy through the projects they have worked on.

Project Umubano makes a modest contribution to the health, education, justice, community and private sectors in this extraordinary country, and we are looking forward to returning with more volunteers this July.

As Conservatives, we believe in using our purchasing power to send a signal to the market. In the Mitchell family, for example, we only buy free-range eggs. And by buying fair trade goods, people can send a clear signal to producers about the conditions in which they want their food and other goods to be produced.

Alongside fair trade, opening up Western markets and increasing global trade is a Conservative priority. This is why we are fighting for cuts to the damaging protectionism that keeps goods made by people in developing countries out of our markets – denying British consumers access to cheaper goods, and hurting poor producers.

We also need to encourage trade between poorer countries – I’ve suggested, for example, the creation of a Pan-African Trading Area.

Ultimately, it is trade and economic development that lift people out of poverty. In difficult economic times we must oppose a retreat into 1930s-style protectionism that would be disastrous for both rich and poor countries alike.

I was shown round Yad Vashem by Asher, a British Jew who now lives in Israel.  As we walked through the museum, I was horrified by the pictures, artefacts and testimonies which depict those dreadful events which took place during the Holocaust.

As I wandered through the museum, the same thought struck me as during my visit to the Genocide Memorial Centre in Kigali, Rwanda – how are human beings capable of engaging in such murderous behaviour towards one another?  I found the Hall of Names particularly striking for it emphasises that the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust are not just part of a number, but are individuals – mothers, fathers, children, grandparents, siblings… murdered in a horrifically systematic way.

I then laid a wreath to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2009.  We must all stand united against genocide, persecution and racial discrimination, we must ‘Stand up to Hatred’ and seek to enhance the International Community’s ‘Responsibility to Protect’ vulnerable people throughout the world.

View images from my visit in this photo gallery and watch my video report from Israel, the Gaza Border and the West Bank.

This weekend I was in Goma to see the humanitarian situation on the ground and to find out whether the international community has delivered on its promises in the region. I met Bipin Rawat, the Indian General who commands the UN force there.

He explained to me that his efforts are hampered by the many constraints he faces. For example, there is no ammunition replenishment available from 5pm on Fridays until 9am on Mondays because of civilian contracting rules, nor is there any capacity for flying at night – a truly unacceptable situation.

I went to Kibati refugee camp, the worst camp I have ever visited and which I can only describe as hell on earth. 65,000 people are sandwiched in between two armies – the Congolese national army on one side, and General Nkunda’s rebel force on the other side. Should the ceasefire break down and fighting resume, these 65,000 will stampede into Goma and many of their lives will be at risk.

The situation in DRC may have faded somewhat from the headlines, but it remains as desperate as ever.

I’ve been to the region a number of times, and have met President Kabila of Congo and President Kagame of Rwanda. The top priority now is for an immediate ceasefire and to allow the aid agencies to get in. We should also prepare for big refugee flows across the border into Rwanda and Uganda.

But we must also tackle the root causes of the violence. The rump of the Hutu Rwandan genocidal regime remains in North and South Kivu, some 8,000 of them with modern weaponry bought from the proceeds of Congo’s mineral wealth. They are a cancer at the heart of the Great Lakes region, and are remaining there in breach of UN Resolution 1804 of March this year. The UN force currently deployed in Congo – MONUC – is not strong enough to take them on.

It is the Congolese Government’s failure or inability to crack down on these groups which gives a spurious legitimacy to the renegade General Nkunda, a warlord who has launched the latest offensive and who claims to be protecting Tutsis.

At times like this it is so frustrating to be in opposition rather than in government and able to actually do something to help. But I’ve been doing all I can to ensure the issue is high on the Government’s agenda. We are all watching anxiously to see what happens over the next few days.

It feels like a long time ago – we’re now back to the rough and tumble of the political fray here in Westminster. But on Monday night, at an event with David Cameron to celebrate the success of Project Umubano, the memories came flooding back.

It was the first time our group had all got together since we said goodbye at the airport at Kigali and it was great to see everyone again. A volunteer from each of the five projects (education; health; justice; private sector; community centre) said a few words – and we were joined by Claver Gatete, the Rwandan Ambassador, and by Mary Blewitt of the Survivor’s Fund, an inspirational lady who lost many members of her family in the genocide and who helped us design and run the project.

We took a diverse group of volunteers to Rwanda: young and old, from across the UK, and ranging from MPs and councillors through to doctors, nurses, technicians and teachers. We were thrown together for a busy and very challenging two weeks, and I think we made a modest contribution to development in Rwanda. But listening to our volunteers on Monday night, it was clear that we gained – through new insights, experiences, and friendships with our Rwandan colleagues – as much as we contributed.

We now have an even stronger group of people within our party who have experienced life in a poor country first hand and who are passionate about making a difference. My time in Rwanda certainly changed my life, and I know everyone who went was deeply affected by what they saw and learnt.

We’re planning to return to Rwanda next year. If you are interested in joining us please contact my office at andrewmitchellmp@parliament.uk. There’s also a short film about Project Umubano here.