The Origin Story
The Great Compassion is a movement born out of the resilience of a Rwanda .
In the wake of one of the most devastating genocides in modern history, Rwanda did something the world did not expect. Rather than losing itself to trauma, the country committed itself to rebuilding social trust—neighbor to neighbor, heart to heart.
At the center of this rebuilding is a simple, radical practice: a national ritual of service, held every month, on the same day, at the same time.
On the last Saturday of the month, the Rwandan people gather. They clean, repair, build, tend, and care—together. They do this as shared responsibility. Through this rhythm, Rwanda has restored her social cohesion and collective dignity in ways that policy alone never could.
I believe Rwanda has discovered the medicine to what ails humanity: it is through shared service that the ego softens and the heart may emerge whole and resilient. Here in service, the threat response of the nervous system softens, suspicion gives way to familiarity, and isolation gives way to trust. Community is no longer an abstraction—it becomes a lived experience.
The Great Compassion arises from this knowing that the future of humanity depends on ritualized care.
A living practice of compassion.
Learning from Rwanda and their ritual of Umuganda, The Great Compassion is a community-based movement too is rooted in the belief that service is social medicine.
It invites people to gather regularly—locally, visibly, and collectively—to serve the places and people they live among. The work is simple and grounded. The impact is profound.
I personally pickup microplastic the last Saturday of the month on the beaches of San Diego. If If I need to stay in and nurse a cold, I write letters to isolated seniors. This began on my 60th birthday in 2025. I have not missed a Saturday since. It's part of me now.
I pray more join me and liberate the love in their own hearts, and the heart of the world.
Explore The Great Compassion movement within LOCL . . .
My work and passions are rooted in decades guiding humans through transition, loss, identity rupture, and emergence. I bring a poetic depth and practical sensibility that orients to the body’s intelligence, a respect for inner rhythm, and a commitment to compassionate and courageous expression.
Lori Wallace
