2012
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Senior 6 Kids
March 12, 2012
By: Anne Heyman, FounderThe three biggest worries of the kids who are in their final year at Agahozo-Shalom are: 1) how are they going to keep in touch with each other; 2) how can we make sure that the kids who follow them at Agahozo-Shalom know its history and its stories; 3) that we do not spend enough time with them teaching them about our philosophy, methodology and core values. Wow.
I went into a meeting of the Senior 6 class after having been bombarded with the constant refrain…. “but what are the kids going to do when they leave the Village”. I expected to be hit with all kinds of questions about the national examinations, as well as the newly introduced professional skills programs which seem to be getting off the ground nicely. One day soon you will be able to have tea and cake (well, sort of cakes) at the visitors center which will be managed and run by our hospitality program. If you are interested in funding a business in Rwanda, our young entrepreneurs have about 57 ideas for you! Those in our modern agriculture program are readying their plots for the planting season. And the ITC kids? They are learning eagerly as they wait for a delivery of OLPC laptops so they can become trainers and troubleshooters on those amazing little machines. I took a walk around the Village yesterday, which was a Sunday, and learned the following: the radio being built by the kids had just been tested successfully (they plan to broadcast to the whole village ultimately); there are kids working on producing extraordinarily beautiful songs, written by them, in both Kinyarwanda and English, in our recording studio; the computer labs, as usual, are standing room only and, because it is near exam time everywhere there is a quiet nook or cranny you see kids studying. The image that most stays with me is that of a kid sitting in the shade of a sapling tree at the top of the amphitheater, reading a book. No, I am not worried about the graduates of Agahozo-Shalom.
Later that evening I met with the Enrichment Year kids, those who have now been with us at Agahozo-Shalom for 2 ½ months. Let me reassure you, big brothers and big sisters, you are doing an incredible job as their role models. My Family Time with the new grade started with them singing to me (original songs); reading poetry that they had written; watching a sketch about the “intake” process for Agahozo-Shalom and how it affected them; presenting me with an incredible painting done by one of their budding artists….they really blew me away. And while many of them are struggling with English, anytime anyone addressed me…they did it in English! They asked some amazing questions, and shared some truly meaningful comments about what Agahozo-Shalom means to them. I cannot believe how far they have come in such a short time. Senior 6 should move forward happily knowing that they have created a deep and firm legacy and that they will be leaving their Village in good hands.
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International Women’s Day at ASYV
March 8, 2012
By: Anne Heyman, FounderI always try to “blog” at least once when I am in the Village, and today is certainly a great day to do so. International Women’s Day is celebrated big time in Rwanda, and probably nowhere with more enthusiasm than at Agahozo-Shalom. Our celebration started this afternoon with all 500 kids and some VIP guests as well as all our staff and volunteers and visiting student groups (go Yale) fitting into our enormous dining hall. Our traditional dance troupe did a “non-traditional” traditional dance telling the story of how women should and should not be treated. Speeches, poems, and sketches all extolled the virtues of women, particularly how important it is to see women as equals and to educate them and give them the same opportunities as men. As usual, I was brought to tears by the heartfelt songs directed my way; what Agahozo-Shalom means to these kids is hardly conceivable. And yes, as everyone kept repeating today, its founder is a woman!!! I am going to be very brave and attach a picture of me wearing my traditional Rwandan dress – a mshanana – that was given to me by the Moms in the Village. The crown was given to me and placed on my head as part of a wonderful dance and song by the Mamas of the Village. We were very privileged to have Mr. Damien Ngabonziza with us representing the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion. He is also the Chairman of the National Commission for Children, so it was very appropriate that he was with us on this special day. There is nothing better than hearing a bunch of teenage rappers extolling the virtue of being a woman. Sometimes it just blows me away how truly awesome this Village is.
International Women's Day at ASYV. (L) Student at ASYV, (R) Anne Heyman
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Sports Enrichment Program Kicks Off at ASYV
ASYV Weekly Highlights
January 23 – 27On a perfect sunny Tuesday (January 24th), over 100 enrichment year boys and girls could be found out on the sports field laughing, running, playing and learning about sportsmanship. Each EP kicked off their hour and a half with a brisk jog around the length of the field. The students were then led through various stretches and technique building activities by their respective EP leaders.
One unfamiliar to the past lives of the ASYV students might look out onto the field and simply see students exercising, however upon learning about the obstacles many of our students have overcome, you will see that what takes place out on that field are small transforming miracles. The sports EPs are an essential ingredient in our mission to repair the mind, body and soul of each ASYV child.
Sports EP
Two weeks ago each Senior 3 and 4 student sat in an exposition held in the dining hall and heard about the benefits of each Art and Sport EP. The students then submitted a form detailing their first and second choice for the EPs in their respective family time. This information was then submitted to the Informal Education department where a list of students in each selected EP was compiled. The following is a breakdown of how many students are in each EP:
Art
Guitar-22
Piano-25
Modern Art-20
Traditional Art-21
Recording Studio-13
Photography and Movie-making-46
Sewing-17
Hospitality-26
Kitchen-49Sports
Girls Basketball-44
Boys Basketball-26
Girls Volleyball-40
Boys Volleyball-25
Girls Football-44
Boys Football-29
Karate-48 -
The Girl with the Brilliant Mind
ASYV Weekly Highlights
January 23 – 27She sat at a small table, under dimming light with her shoulders hunched over and her eyes steadily combing through the fine print of a book. Pronouncing each word with even concentration and determination, she carefully made her way through the famous novel Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, pausing only to ask the Art Instructor, her freshly recruited tutor, for the definition of new vocabulary words. One look into the intent eyes of the young girl, and you could sense that beneath her placid veneer was a veracious mind, anxious to be let loose in order to conquer the world one book at a time.
Joyce Furaha Uwamahoro
Nineteen-year-old old Joyce Furaha Uwamahoro, a Senior 5 Agahozo-Shalom student, speaks in a low and steady voice. She is a quiet girl with many things to say. On a Wednesday evening she patiently explains to the Art Instructor about her love of reading and learning new languages. She talks about a time before Agahozo Shalom, when the only language she knew well was Kinyarwanda. She could only write and speak a little French, and spoke no English. She explained that before ASYV she had no one with which to speak French or English. In fact, she stated that before coming to ASYV she did not enjoy speaking at all because of the people with which she lived. However, upon witnessing kindness at ASYV, she began to open up. She now has many friends, some even from America and Israel. Quietly, with a smile, she looks up and says “I don’t know why people come and talk to me, but they do.”
It is without question that Joyce possess a talent for learning languages, a talent she first sensed during her Enrichment Year, and which propelled her to choose the language study track, KEF (Kinyarwanda, English, French). However, after a moment with the girl, one can also see that it is not talent alone that has allowed her to accomplish things such as placing 7th in a nation-wide essay competition on The Merits and Demerits of using a common currency in East Africa, rather, it is an insatiable desire to learn and excel. This desire to learn has led her to pour through books such as, The Concubine by Elechi Amadi, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Weep Not Child by Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Betrayal in the City by Francis Imbuga to name a few. She also possess a keen interest in Francophone African Literature, and has read books such as La Negritude Français by Sedar Senghor, as well as D’un Petit Enfant Nègre by Léo Gautra Damas.
When the village lights suddenly, yet expectantly go out on this evening, and the words of Chinua Achebe are no longer intelligible, Joyce sets the book aside and begins to talk about her love for writing and for singing. She tells the Art Instructor that she writes poems and even songs. And, after a few minutes of waiting in vain for the lights to return, a low yet wonderful voice emerges from the darkness, carrying the tune of the popular Justin Bieber song, “Never, Say Never.” Her voice lights the room. She then serenades the Art Instructor, as well as three students, who have taken shelter in the Art room from the blinding darkness outside, with the song “From This Moment.” When the song is finished she then says, “I also love to draw and play basketball, volleyball and football. World watch out, this girl is not playing around. In fact, when asked what it is she wants to do after graduating from ASYV she quickly replies, “I want to be a journalist… or own a tourism business, but mostly be a journalist. I want to be on television or the radio.” She belonged to the Newspaper club last year and this year wants to take the Hospitality Professional Skill course. After leaving ASYV she stated that she expects to study journalism in university. This is certainly an attainable dream for Joyce, the girl with a brilliant mind.
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Core Values
Alain Munyaburanga
VillagePhilosophy, Education and TrainingThe letter below was written to the staff at ASYV by Alain Munyaburanga who is responsible for Education and Training. Alain has been with ASYV since the construction phase of the village.
Many times we wonder if what we do in Agahozo-Shalom, with the kids, will have a lasting impact. Many times a kid or a family in Agahozo-Shalom does something that shows us that what we do does matter; more than we know or can witness.
We just finished one of those activities that proves to me what we do is paramount in the lives of the majority of our kids. Today was the voting day for Mister and Miss Core Value for each grade. During Thursday family time, we started with a discussion on core values. The kids discussed what the core values are and why they are important in their lives.
During Friday village time, a presentation was given to everyone in the village on the 7 core values of Agahozo-Shalom. Above and beyond good grades, having values is more important. Having values are what will allow you to have a job and keep it, to have a friend and keep her/him, to be respected in the community you live in and so on.
On Sunday every family elected their Mister or Miss Core Value based on how she/he lived with the other kids. Today each grade elected one Mister and Miss Core Value among those that had been selected in their respective families. The kids who were elected are those kids who really live the 7 core values.
The event had a dual purpose. The first purpose was to remind the kids of our core values and to acknowledge those live them every day. The second purpose was to educate the kids on the election process. In a country that has only voted democratically twice in its existence, there is a need for educating its citizens why you vote for a particular candidate or person.
It was a wonderful event. The group I was in, Urumuli grade, one kid asked the 8 candidates to identify the 7 ASYV core values and explain the reason the village has them in place. Listening to the candidates answer this question reminded me why we do what we do. One candidate said: “many of us never had a chance to inherit values from our parents. The village is our family and believes it is important for its kids to have values. This is why these values were put in place”.
It has been a month since we welcomed our fourth grade to ASYV. I know that it has been a hard month with people getting back into the day to day life in the village after two months away. But it has been a successful month as well. Many of us were scared of having 500 kids in the village and solving all the issues that come up on a daily basis; but we have done a marvelous job.
I would like to thank you all for what you do on a daily basis at ASYV. If you had any doubts about the impact you have in these kids’ lives, please remember the reason one of them gave above. I wish that we all achieve more with our kids during the month of February than we have achieved in January. Only by constantly improving on what we do, will we build a strong community of nation builders out of our kids in Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village.
Be blessed
