Latest Blog Posts
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ASYV’s Sunlight Newspaper First Edition
The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village has released its very first edition of the Sunlight Newspaper. It is filled with interviews and articles about village life. We invite you to download and share our newspaper with family and friends.
[To read the Sunlight Newspaper, download the PDF.]
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International Day at ASYV
We are Responsible
FURAHA Joyce, Family 6
by Furaha Joyce, Family 6
June 17, 2010Yesterday, we celebrated International Day of the African Child. The history of this day dates back to the events that took place in Soweto, South Africa during Apartheid. In 1976 many children marched the streets to protest the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young boys and girls were shot down; and in the two weeks of protest that followed, more than a hundred people were killed and more than a thousand were injured. We recognize this day because we honor their memory and it is a reminder that we must protect our children. When we remember the children of Soweto, we look at our Rwandan history and honor the many children that were also killed here during the genocide.
To commemorate, we had an amazing program. There were traditional dance performances, modern dances, many kids performed songs, and after we all ate special foods because it was a special event. In the dinning hall there was a banner that read, “Planning for the wellbeing of our children is a collective responsibly.” I think this banner was speaking to our village elders, but I believe that we are also responsible for making bright futures for ourselves. This means I must study very hard in school and support my brothers and sisters in the village. When I graduate I want to help the children in Rwanda who do not have parents or money. I want to provide them hope for a good life.
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Thoughts from a Tufts University Student
ASYV offers such a multidimensional experience. With this trip I saw so many perspectives of the country and was able to analyze and process these perspectives thoroughly. Not only do you get to be a part of something so crucial to Rwanda’s future but you also are able to extensively learn about it’s past, something so important in making the most of your experience. I have participated in many short-term service trips in the past and ASYV was by far the most meaningful experience. If one is looking for a service-learning trip ASYV is the way to go
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Tufts University Hillel visits ASYV
21 incredible students from Tufts University just returned from the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village after spending 10 days volunteering, exploring, learning, hiking, homework-helping and dancing in Rwanda! The trip began with 2 days in Kigali where the students learned about some of Rwanda’s history at the Kigali Genocide Memorial . They got to see a bit of the hills of Kigali as they toured the city, catching glimpses of the Department of Defense, the Hotel Milles Collines, and even President Kagame’s own motorcade.
From Kigali, the group headed to the Eastern Province to settle into their new homes at Agahozo-Shalom’s guest houses, overlooking the village farm.
They were treated to a tour of the sprawling village before diving into their service work. Four months of hard work and networking in the US paid off; the Tufts group was able to fundraise over $5000 to build seating around the village’s sports fields. In two short weeks, this seating will be filled with spectators from across Rwanda, coming to cheer on the National Football Team as they inaugurate the new field and pay thanks to Tufts efforts on behalf of the village.
Tufts Students at the Farm
Working side by side with local construction crews, the Tufts students carried rocks and cement in the hot morning sun to help ensure the project would be completed in time for this occasion. As they worked, the group learned Kinyarwandan phrases and shared laughs with their fellow workers. The Tufts students shared meals with the entire village, mingling with different groups of students as they chatted over family style meals of plaintains, farm fresh greenbeans, white sweet potatoes or sorghum breakfast porridge.
In the afternoons, the Tufts students volunteered in the after school program, learning traditional dance and crafts alongside the Agahozo-Shalom students, and challenging them to friendly games of football, volleyball and basketball.
The group joined in other village activities as well, taking part of the evening Family Time discussions held in each ASYV family.
Beyond the village, the Tufts students explored the nearby town of Rubona and haggled prices for pineapples, cloth and avocado at the market.
Before boarding their flight back to the United States, the Tufts group brainstormed ways to continue their support of the village and ensure that the connections that they had built – both with individual students and with the village as a whole – would endure.
Plans are already underway for Agahozo-Shalom events in the fall at Tufts, including the second annual Race4Rwanda, to be held next November!
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Environment Week
This week in the village we celebrated our environment. We had a guest speaker and the Environment Club organized a community trash and litter clean-up. We learned how important it is to protect the land we live on and the animals and plants we live with. We learned to be aware of our human imprint. In our geography class we learned that disturbing natural habitats and cutting down bushes causes erosion. In our weekly Wednesday night debate we discussed this topic. Is it better to cut down trees and bush to get food or to let it grow naturally around us? My opinion is that we should allow our plants to grow because they supply the oxygen that keeps us alive! Many girls in my family said that you can’t cut the bush because it provides shelter for other animals as well. We all did agree that it is okay to plant trees to get fruits from them and we are very proud of our Agahozo-Shalom farm!
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International Kigali Peace Marathon
by Barrie Adleberg, Art Enrichment Program Volunteer
Sunday, 5:30 am, I stumbled out of my bed. My brain, still in hibernation mode, couldn’t process the excitement of my body as I tripped over the clothes I had set out the night before. It was Marathon time! 20 eager, committed young runners from our village
joined thousands of others in Kigali to compete in the 6th annual International Peace Marathon. 2 of our boys ran in the 21 km race (half marathon), 4 children and 4 staff ran the fourth marathon (myself included), and 14 came for the 5 km “run for fun”. A cadre of runners in the 5 km race chanted and clapped, setting the tempo for the run. Slogans like, “J’ TAIME, I LOVE YOU!” and “GO MAMA GO!” filled the air with encouragement. The full marathon runners zoomed past me like the wily coyote and left me questioning how some bodies are capable of such physical rigors. As I approached the finish line in the national futbol stadium, I thought my legs were going to give out under me. But the momentum from the crowd’s cheers and my desperate longing to end my misery were just the push I needed. Annette one of our Senior 4 kids was the first female competitor to finish the 5 km race! Even with the sun relentlessly beating on our backs, we all finished in stride with a real sense of personal accomplishment. The runners were each given a t-shirt, a packet of biscuits, water, and a banana. After my heart rate caught its normal beat, I sat in the shade of the bleachers. François, one of our 21km runners came up to me and urged I share his biscuits. I insisted that I had just finished some and he should enjoy. “NO!” he said, determined to get me to eat. Then he said something that will stay with me for a very long time, “I got an extra packet and if we are lucky enough to have, we must share. That is humanity.” I was so moved that I ate the biscuit. And as I watched him offer his remaining crackers to the strangers around him I was reminded how truly special our children are.
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A Tribute: Philbert
On April 7, 2010, our dear Philbert passed away. He, along with 17 others drowned in Lake Kivu after a tragic boating accident on their way to a genocide memorial. Philbert was top of his class and an exceptionally hard worker. He focused his studies on Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Not only was he diligent in his studies, he was an incredibly skilled musician on the guitar. Philbert was the only child of 4 to survive the genocide. Philbert’s mother recalled that when the genocide occurred, Philbert was 2 years old, he could walk and had started talking. After the genocide, she said, he could not crawl let alone walk. He walked again at 4 or 5 years old and she exclaimed that God had answered her prayers because this was a miracle. From that time on Philbert did nothing but grow, excel, and touch the lives of those around him with his beautiful spirit. He will be sorely missed and his memory never forgotten.
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International Labor Day at ASYV
LABOR DAY CELEBRATION
by Ido BenvenistiOn Saturday May 1st the village came together in the Edmond J. Safra community center to celebrate International Labor Day. The evening was dedicated to the staff of Agahozo-Shalom. In the ninety minute ceremony the kids expressed their appreciation for the
counselors, housemothers, cooks, security guards, teachers, and administrative staff. Two older students, Paci and Lilliane sang a
ASYV kids celebrate International Labor Day
song they composed. Assumpta, one of our talented student poets read an original work, and family number one of the second grade performed in a short “roast” of the staff. Three of the village employees were recognized for their outstanding work in 2009. These awards went to: Kabirigi Deo, the IT teacher in the Liquidnet Family High School, Parisien Jean-Claude, grade coordinator from the informal education department, and our village nurse, Elodie from the Health and Wellness Center. The evening was concluded with a music performance by the staff followed by a staff party. Everyone shared in the joy of the award recipients and the positive energy of this event filled everyone in the village with excitement to commence the second term.
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Anne and Family Time
Family Time: At lunch today one of the volunteers me that his family, Family 1, would like to extend a special invitation to me to go to family time. I groaned – inwardly and outwardly – yet more meetings that would have to be postponed and I really wanted to get some work done tonight which I have had NO opportunity to do since I am here – so I told him I would let him know. Over dinner I realized that I would have no other night free while in Rwanda, and I felt bad so after dinner I called him and told him I would come. This was about ½ an hour before family time started. I can’t believe I almost missed out on this evening.
[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
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Anne is in the village
Tuesday April 20, 2010
It is wonderful to be back in the Village again (despite having to traipse around with my broken ankle). The rainy season has made things green and lush and while Rwanda is always beautiful the fresh greenery and the after rain smells, the chirping of the amazing colorful birds and the extraordinary scenery allow you to just breathe deep. While mourning and remembering Philbert have been a big part of this visit (will post something about this at a later date) the amazing stories and experiences just keep coming. This afternoon I spent some time with the Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) Committee. For those of you who don’t know, part of Agahozo-Shalom’s philosophy of repair and healing is that all children living in the village must be engaged in a project in which they do something for others. After reviewing what had been done last term with the Committee (made up of a house mother, grade coordinator, volunteer and 4 counselors) I set out with the committee to visit the various projects that our first year of kids (Senior 4) had been working on.
[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
