Blog
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A Return to ASYV
December 2009
By: Liz SternIt takes just under an hour to drive from Kigali to ASYV, a lot shorter than it used to take since the government improved the road leading from the main road into the Village. This is something Anne and the rest of the staff have been working on for a long time and what a difference!
Driving through the colorful gates brought back such memories from when I had last been here, a year and a half ago, during the final construction phase. I had come with my mother-in-law, Judy, and at that time, the majority of the houses were nearly complete, the dining hall and the school were about halfway complete, and we ceremoniously planted tiny little saplings at the entrance way. But the two hills on which ASYV sits were brown and dusty and yearning for attention.Now, I was struck by the explosions of color here. The little saplings were little trees! The hills were green with new grasses and plantings, the buildings were painted with dramatic murals from last year’s first class of students, and the farm at the base of the hills was alive with activity. It was an amazing sight and I was so proud to be bringing my husband, Emanuel, and our three daughters to experience the successful process and product that ASYV embodies. They’ve witnessed the attention and passion I have paid to it at home, and now they would see just how incredible this environment would be for the kids.
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