Posts from July, 2008
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ASYV Founder Visits Site July 2008
July 10, 2008
I have been sitting here staring at the blank screen of my computer for about 5 minutes, not knowing where to begin to tell you about today. I know that the “Liquidnet Family” is keeping a blog of their experiences, and I feel sure that one of them will be able to put things into words far better than I can. I am tempted to leave it to them, but that would be cheating.
I awoke to yet another sunny, crisp spectacularly clear and beautiful day snuggled among the hills of Kigali which is the beautiful view I have from my window. Everyone was very excited as we piled onto the bus. In addition to the Liquidnet Family and our donors we were joined by another couple from New and the JNF guys from Israel. From ASYV Sifa, Tina, JP, Eugenie and I were on the bus. Alain met us at the site, as did the architects and construction company.
On the way out I spoke to everyone about ASYV and the progress we have made, and where the project stands today – of course mentioning what it will take to get us to “opening day”. Then I asked Sifa to talk a little about what the project means to her and to Rwanda, which she did beautifully, and then we turned the mike over to JP. JP spoke about his life post genocide and his work with the orphan community and the frustrations that were associated with that. He began working with orphans in 1995, just one year after the genocide in which he lost most of his family. He talked about when he was in Israel learning about Yemin Orde and Feuerstein’s methodologies and how he couldn’t stop thinking that if only he had had some of this information back then he may have been able to help some of those children stay in school. And he talked about how even today those that want to help this vulnerable community so much are unable to because they don’t have a system; they haven’t been taught the methodologies necessary to do it in any meaningful way, and that for him this is one of the biggest gifts that ASYV brings to the country.
As JP finished talking we neared the site of the village, and as the red roofs began to appear in the distance silence fell over the bus. We drove quietly passed the school, passed the main entrance, and up to the site of the children’s houses. The vast majority of them are roofed; many have plaster on and I would say that they are about 90 – 95% complete. They looked simple but absolutely breathtaking in the sunshine, carved into the mountainside looking out at the rest of the world. As you know from being there, looking out at the hills on the other side of the lake it appears as if those hills just go on forever.
As we got off the bus people quietly started milling about…it was if they couldn‘t really believe what they were seeing. Many came over and just hugged me. There really are no words to describe what you are feeling when you see the village – I was going to say for the first time but the reality is, every time. Fred, Thomas and Kiki greeted us warmly, and Thomas walked the group through one of the children’s houses, explaining the layout and what it will take to get the project completed. After milling about (and listening to the excited chatter with great joy) we got on the bus and drove up the hill, passed the dining hall under construction, to the school, which is also under construction. Both of those buildings, which were essentially nothing more than foundations a month ago when I was here, are now almost at the half way point. On the way Sifa asked Alain to talk about the land purchase, and I have to tell you that this project could have no better spokesperson. He talked about the process – how we looked for the land, how the criteria had to fit the philosophy of the village, the importance of growing up in beautiful surroundings and the importance of being able to “see far”. He also talked about the purchase of the land, the decision to purchase rather than have the government expropriate for us, and the three week negotiation under the tree – the tree which stands proudly at the top of the Children’s Houses. He talked about how the way in which we have gone about building this village has earned the respect of everyone, from the local people to whom it has brought jobs and increased property values, to the architect and builder and officials in Rwanda. It is too bad it is only a 2 minute ride up to the school – I could have listened to him go on forever.
Fred and Kiki were literally beaming with pride as they walked everyone through the school. We stood in the courtyard, and once again I was amazed at the simplicity and beauty of the building. Standing on the top of the school’s hill is the most spectacular view. On this beautiful day I could have stood up there gazing at the distant hills and nearby lakes forever. After a quick walk down to the dining hall, where we reviewed the plans, we walked down to the main entrance. The dining hall, which is a 2 story building, is essentially built into the hillside. In contrast to the cement block, a beautiful stone exterior wall connects the dining hall to the hill. Thomas was very proud to tell us that women were building this wall. At the front entrance we planted two trees – one planted by the Friends of ASYV (donors) and the other by the Liquidnet Family. As has become our usual practice, we marked the special occasion with “shehechiyanu” – a prayer of thanks for allowing us to get to this time and place.
Then it was back on the bus and a drive down to Lake Muhazi, where we at lunch on the banks of the lake, some competing with exotic birds for their food. The place had a very “safari” feel and it was great to relax and just enjoy. You really felt like you were somewhere peaceful and quiet in the middle of Africa. Then I went to the ladies room, and on the way passed a blaring television (on an outdoor straw covered patio) which was blaring an ad for the new game “guitar hero” – one of my kids’ favorites! I couldn’t help but chuckle. We can kid ourselves as much as we want but our worlds are really so connected, and it is just going to get more and more so.
After driving back to Kigali everyone had a little time to rest, blog, go shopping, and at 8:00pm we went to Legend, a Rwandan restaurant where traditional dance is part of the evening’s entertainment. The food was really excellent, and the dancers were incredible. At one point they pulled the audience – our table(s) were the only one in the room, others had come in to watch – so they pulled everyone from our table up to dance. Everyone was a really good sport about it and had a tremendous amount of fun. At 11:00 I broke up the party, but the dancers insisted on doing a little something special for us, so by the time we got home it was quite late. All in all, a really excellent day!
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Liquidnet Visits ASYV
Several members of ASYV’s corporate partner, Liquidnet Holdings, Inc., recently traveled to Rwanda on an ASYV mission. The members are part of The Liquidnet Family, whose time and efforts are geared towards supporting Liqudnet’s Global Social Engagement projects, which ASYV is one.
To see a video of their trip and pictures, click on the following link http://liquidnetfamilyrwanderers.tumblr.com/