December 2009
-
My Visit to ASYV
December 2009
By: Josie SternI went to Rwanda (and Tanzania) this winter break with my family to visit the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. We had a rough two days getting there…but when we finally arrived, it was unbelievable. We landed in Kigali, Rwanda, and from there we went directly to spend the night at Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV). The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village aims to create a safe, loving home and learning community for high school aged orphans in Rwanda. The teens are orphaned because of the Rwandan genocide and other reasons. The village is a place of hope, where traumatized youth can “dry their tears” (Agahozo) and “live in peace” (Shalom).
ASYV is a new home for the teens. It was founded a couple of years ago by Anne Heyman and welcomed its first year of students last January. The day after we arrived, the second class of students would arrive too. This was a very important day in the history of Rwanda and ASYV…and I was about to experience it. Just being there when the first girl walked onto its grounds was amazing. She had come from three hills away (in Rwanda they sometimes measure in hills because it is so hilly and they call it the “Land of a Thousand Hills”) with nothing but the clothes on her back. She must have woken up at a very early time and walked to ASYV. Her journey took three hours. The courage to go somewhere that you do not even know that much about is inspiring.In the morning, before the rest of the kids arrived, my family and I joined Sifa, Anne and Bosco on a trip to the nearby village market. We purchased bananas for the kids to enjoy as a snack when they arrived. Later, when the buses brought the groups of kids, there were tours of the village for them. It was really moving to watch the kids being introduced to their new “family” and meeting their house “mothers.” The hope that these kids have is purely unique. Their stories are horrible and devastating but they still got through it and made it, and now their lives will be slowly healed by the wonderful staff family at ASYV. I really admire and respect them for this. It was a truly wonderful trip and I am very honored to be a part of it by giving donations from Bat Mitzvah to it.
-
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.
[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
-
Arrival Day – A message from Anne Heyman
December 21, 2009
By: Anne Heyman, FounderI awoke this morning feeling as though this would be the most wonderful day in the world. The unimaginable was about to happen – year 2 of Agahozo-Shalom begins. Over a cup of coffee this feeling was reaffirmed. I was told that our first child – a girl – had shown up at the gates at 7:00am. She came from a town that was approximately a 3 hours walk away, which meant she had risen with the sun and hit the road the minute there was light. And she came carrying nothing. The feeling was overwhelming when I heard that; it was overwhelming at least a dozen times during the day. The kids seem so young (mostly 16 and 17; a few 15 year olds). I know their stories. I can’t imagine what they have been through.
[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
-
A Note from the Agahozo-Shalom Executive Director
December 16, 2009
By: Tamar Copeland
Executive Director, Agahozo-ShalomFrom the moment you pass through the gates of Agahozo-Shalom, you can feel the sense possibility and purpose that emanates from this special place. The physical space is majestic and inspiring. Here in the Village, it is not hard to believe that if you see far, you will go far.
It’s a busy time –the kids are coming! And although they are not yet here, there are signs of them everywhere. From the Liquidnet Family High School to the basketball court to the kid’s homes named after their heroes such as George Washington Carver, Anne Frank, Benazir Bhutto and Socrates, we are constantly reminded of why we are here. Our activities are centered on preparing for their arrival, which grounds and focuses us all. In another setting, our trainings might look like typical orientation and team building exercises, but at Agahozo-Shalom, we are doing much, much more. We are busy with the shared goal of creating a home where our children can be whole and aspire to their personal dreams. We are building family.
I am both moved and inspired by the commitment of new and returning staff and our volunteers who have selflessly chosen to dedicate their hearts and their lives to our kids. I hope that you will have the opportunity to visit Agahozo-Shalom to understand the extraordinary potential of this model. Your life will be forever changed.
(left) Elton Hassal, (center) Tamar Copeland, (right) Alain Munyaburanga, ASYV Associate Director
-
A Beautiful Day at Agahozo-Shalom
December 15, 2009
By: Rachel Olstein
Director of Volunteer Services – ASYVThe day begins early here with the chirping of birds and the early morning sun peeking in through the curtains. Leaving our room and stepping out onto the porch, we’re greeted by a freshly planted lawn looking over the blossoming farm. The crops are flourishing, providing the entire village with nourishment from pineapples, bananas, beans, carrots and more.
All around, preparations are being made for Monday, when 125 new students will arrive at the village. Tables are being assembled and painted, mosquito nets hung, and grass chopped. Some students have already begun to arrive, bringing with them an enthusiasm and cheer that fuels the excited anticipation in the air. They can be heard singing on the way back from meals or shooting hoops in the evening. Meanwhile, the staff – house mothers, counselors, and volunteers – is participating in training and team building sessions. Everyone at the village is thirsting for knowledge and skills; in each session, new ideas are born, shared and formulated into plans for the coming year. The veteran staff has taken on a leadership role, passing on the philosophy and spirit of Agahozo Shalom to the new staff.
All around, there is a sense of eagerness and readiness to begin this new year at the village, where things are already blossoming and bustling, confident that the coming year will be a success.
-
News from ASYV Founder – December 2009
December 11, 2009
By: Anne Heyman, Founder – ASYVHello again from the beautiful hills of the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. Today was the end of the first week of training for the staff and volunteers at Agahozo-Shalom. It was also the first day of strategic planning meetings for the entire management committee, all of whom are in the village together which is a rare occasion. Other than the staff the village is strangely empty, most of the first class having gone to friends or relatives for the holiday period. It is a bit sad for me not having those laughing smiling faces to greet me everywhere I go. Their singing is really missed, as are the normal sounds of the village – the rhythm of life that has been so wonderfully restored. There are a half dozen kids in the village all of whom had nowhere to go, and they are very busy helping to prepare for the new class of children who will arrive in the village on December 21st. They are so excited to be getting new “brothers and sisters”, and in fact the excitement in the village is building as thoughts turn to the planning sessions for next week, the additional trainings and the final preparation for the big arrival day.
[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
-
News from ASYV – December 2009
December 11, 2009
By Will RecantBack home at Agahozo-Shalom what a special feeling and what a special place. It is a bit surreal as I watched the lights of my Chanukah candles burn with the beauty of this lush landscape outside of my window. Although the kids from the village are away on their Christmas break the village remains alive with new staff and volunteers who have just arrived and are being trained by those that have been here teaching and working for the past year.
I can’t believe that a year has passed since we were here December 15th 2008 to greet the new students at their spanking new campus. Last year at this time we were unsure of so much – Will this unique model work? Will these kids who have endured trauma and hardship in their early lives make the adjustment to living together in the village? Can we truly help “restore the rhythms of life” for these kids, counselors, and housemothers who have endured so much hardship in their recent past?
Within weeks of their arrival, our kids and staff had bonded. Within this past year they have become family. It is unbelievable that this has all been accomplished in a short three year timeframe. Next week, we will be welcoming the second class of 125 students. Only this year they will be greeted by those who arrived a year ago. These “veterans” of Agahozo-Shalom told me that they would mentor the newcomers and ease their transition from their individual difficulties and circumstances into this special village. The entire village has bought into the core values that we have been working to instill – Living as role models, respect, and integrity, the interest of the child, a learning community, support, and commitment.
[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]