iwacu

What it is

Iwacu means "home" in Kinyarwanda. It is a family tree, a record of the family's history (moments, places, stories), and a private way for the family to keep it together.

The vision

A family's history belongs to the family. Many families have been scattered; some histories are painful or dangerous to share. So the tree lives on the family's devices, is shared only with the people the family chooses, and no one can search for a family or an ancestor from outside.

It must never become a database where anyone can look up who descends from whom.

Using it

1. Build the tree: add people and families on the canvas; drag to move, pinch to zoom.

2. Tell the history: moments with dates (even uncertain ones), places on a historical map, stories and articles.

3. Invite the family: share the tree with relatives; changes are suggested and approved.

4. Connect trees: link your tree to a relative's, both sides agreeing.

5. Work your way: the canvas, a side panel, or a terminal and scripts for people who like typing.

The full guide is on soma.

How it's built

Every family tree is its own small community: a signed log the family's devices share, encrypted, through a relay that can't read it. Moments are added and never silently rewritten; other changes are suggested and approved by the family. Clans are communities of families.

Run it yourself

The apps' code will be published after their outside security review. Until then, use the web app at iwacu.paramira.org or try it in the playground with a demo family.

Get help

We can help your family or clan get started, for a minimum donation.