Project Update
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Agahozo-Shalom Update – September 2009
Dear Friends and Supporters of Agahozo-Shalom,
It gives me great pleasure to share with you this update from Agahozo-Shalom, where life has continued with such enthusiasm and passion that sometimes it takes my breath away. Since April when you last heard from us we have continued to make great strides, both in the “physical plant” of Agahozo-Shalom (first phase of construction completed, green grass and young trees dotting the landscape, eating our own vegetables from our farm) and in program implementation (trainings for staff, refinements in process and procedures, introduction of new enrichment activities).
Our children have settled into a “rhythm of life” that would be familiar to many of us, but for many of them is really beyond their wildest dreams. Just last week they took a field trip in to the capital city of Kigali, a modern western city which is quite an eye-opener compared to the pastoral green hills that make up most of rural Rwanda. The children visited a factory, a radio station and the Kigali International airport. Back at school they are in the process of choosing the courses they will study for their last three years of high school and for which they will have to take their matriculation exams. And as they begin to plan their next year at Agahozo-Shalom, so too have we begun to identify/recruit and to plan for the next class of 125 who will be joining us in December, which is really just around the corner.
The past six months has not been without its challenges. Although we were able to raise the funds to complete the payment for our construction (which includes future infrastructure needs, the farm, sports facilities as well as the community center, high school, and homes which can accommodate 500 children as well as visitor accommodations) the economic environment has made it difficult for us to raise the money needed for basic operating costs, and has made us keep purchases for the incoming class down to a bare minimum. Clean water continues to be a challenge, as does the very high cost of electricity and we are exploring solutions for both. The day to day trials, however, pale when compared to the accomplishments. In the green hills of Rwamagana there sits a real, live, operating youth village. It has a school which children cannot wait to get to in the morning. They eat 3 delicious nutritious meals a day with vegetables they have grown in their own farm. They sing, dance and play sports in the afternoons, go to the learning center and library, use computers, do their homework and dream about what they are going to be when they “grow up”. And they don’t stop thinking – and telling us – about how they are going to change the world.
The ripple effects of Agahozo-Shalom are already being felt in many ways and many places both in and outside of Rwanda. Although we are barely up and running ourselves, people from all over the world are visiting and beginning to talk to us about ways in which they can implement our or a similar model elsewhere. Please don’t underestimate the impact of your decision to join us in this remarkable journey. And come and visit! There is no better way to understand what is happening at Agahozo-Shalom than to spend a few days at the village, eating with the kids, sharing in activities. We are waiting for you with open arms.
Wishing you all the very best,
Anne Heyman,
Founder, Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
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Agahozo-Shalom April 2009 Update
Dear Friends and Supporters,
April 7th 2009 will mark the 15th year since Genocide claimed nearly 1 million lives in Rwanda, in less than three months. In the introduction to his book (We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families), Philip Gourevitch takes note of the decimation: “The Dead of Rwanda accumulated at nearly three times the rate of Jewish dead during the Holocaust. It was the most efficient mass killing since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”. Gourevitch later explains how not one conversation in Rwanda takes place without alluding -directly or not- to the Genocide. And fifteen years later, few conversations take place still, without alluding to the Genocide, the only difference being that today it is sometimes mentioned as a point of reference, a place where Rwandans don’t want to go, ever again. Rebuilding after such devastation and amidst so many challenges is formidable; yet Rwanda seems determined to educate and develop its population so “never again” actually stands a chance.
For those of us who felt helpless in the face of the 1994 atrocities and/or later wondered how the world could have let them happen, it is a privilege to be able to play a role in this recovery process.
In December 2008, we brought you a special report on the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village; the village was then becoming the official home of 125 wonderful Rwandan teenage kids and their ‘parents’ and educators. At the end of the attached report, you will find a summary of the major accomplishments in the last three months, and we also encourage you to read our blog for more telling stories. Much has been done over the last two years, and more still needs to be accomplished before the last intake brings us to full capacity (500 kids). Nevertheless, as I look back 15 years, then gaze into the eyes of these 125 young men and women, and as I reflect on the last three months at the village and consider the unit we’ve become, I can’t help but say “we wish to inform you that tomorrow we will live and thrive with our families”!
On behalf of Agahozo-Shalom, I thank you for the moral and practical support you continue to give us, without which we could not have gotten where we are today. This April where we simultaneously celebrate Agahozo-Shalom’s progress – and remember the pain it was born out of – I feel inclined to end with a personal thought -which I hope will enrich you in some small way: When I was ten years old, and my mother could not put food on the table, I didn’t feel hunger as much as I felt her pain. When I was twenty and unable to process the Genocide or deaths of my loved ones, I didn’t feel their loss as much as I felt the abandonment of the world, and when I was thirty and powerless vis-à-vis Darfur, I didn’t feel discouragement as much as I felt their silent eyes saying “I appreciate your trying, please don’t stop”. In these challenging times, may we all remember what Rwandans say when faced with difficult challenges: “ejo bizaba byiza” -tomorrow things will be good!
Just one last thing: at Agahozo-Shalom we celebrate April 7th as a day of Genocide remembrance -and reverence for universal life. Would you consider joining us this year? You could use the day to get more informed about Genocide and how we can make it history, write a letter to Rwandans or Darfuris expressing regret and/or solidarity, you may consider giving up something for that day, and making a donation to organizations working in Rwanda, Darfur, or other places where Genocide is happening or its effects lingering. Whatever you do, it will mean a lot for those you think about on that day. It helps in healing their wounds (it did for me), and it makes them want to heal the world in turn. And so it goes, until we make it a better place for our humanity to finally thrive.
Thanks again for supporting Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. I hope you enjoy the attached report, and please don’t hesitate to contact our office if you’d like to know more.
Amahoro/Peace
Sifa Nsengimana, Executive Director
Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
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THE VILLAGE IS OPENING ASYV Update – December 2008
With the doors of the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) set to open this month, and the first cohort of Rwandan youth about to make ASYV their home, we want to take a moment to both look back with pride at all that had been achieved and look forward to all that has still to be accomplished.
The following timeline shows the highlights of the project chronologically; from immediately following the lecture Anne Heyman attended in November 2005 at which she first learned of the lingering legacy of the Rwandan Genocide, until today, when the first Youth Village in Africa stands ready to receive its first residents.
Anne’s first step, with the guidance of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), was to research youth villages in Israel. In so doing she came up with a model which could be followed and replicated, that of the Yemin Orde Youth Village. The next step was to determine whether this model would make sense in the Rwandan context. A trip to Rwanda in May of 2006 soon confirmed that not only would the model fit well with Rwandan cultural norms but that there was a desperate need for it. A subsequent trip to Rwanda in July of 2007, during which a group of Ethiopian Israeli graduates of Yemin Orde shared the model and their stories, led to the formation of a group of Ethiopian Israelis who will each spend time volunteering at ASYV. During that trip Sifa Nsengimana was hired as the project’s Executive Director and a local Country Director was hired as well.
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ASYV Teachers at The Feuerstein Institute
December 1, 2008
Below is a photo of The ASYV Teachers studying at the International Center for the Enhancement for Learning Potential (ICELP). They are engaged in a 6-week program designed to provide them with the skills to maximize the students’ aptitude for learning.
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Field Report from ASYV – November 2008
On a recent trip to ASYV, JDC Executive Assistant Vice President, Will Recant, had an opportunity to meet some of the counselors, housemothers and future kids that will be living at the village.
Below is an excerpt of his field report to the rest of the team:
All,
Quite an eventful and fruitful visit to Rwanda.
Construction- on average 300 workers on site every day. Drains are going in throughout housing section. First 5 houses have been moved into this week. One house is the admin building, dining room and kitchen. Alain did a wonderful job at putting together a makeshift temporary kitchen. The kitchen
manager and his staff of 3 have been cooking and serving the staff all week. The food is wonderful – if I can say this, I have no doubts everyone will be happy. Our Rwandan staff most certainly is happy. The kitchen staff all stays together in one house. The Kitchen Manager said he will need to hire 3 more when the kids arrive.
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ASYV Teachers in Israel
The ASYV High School Teachers have been in Israel for a 6-week training program from our partner the Feuerstein Institute – International Center for the Enhancement for Learning Potential (ICELP). This included a visit to our model village Yemin Orde where they met with one of the ASYV Volunteers but also had the incredible opportunity to meet with Mr. Elie Wiesel. The impact this trip has had on the teachers has been transformative and they are deeply appreciative of the new skills they are being taught. We would like to share some highlights and comments from their trip:
• ICELP is a catalyst/turning point toward a new way of thinking.
• We are not teachers, but facilitators
• We can finally highlight the relevancy and diversity of all we teach to the students’ life and society
• They compared their educational and learning process thus far in Rwanda to the “assassination of Mozart” in that even the most creative, brilliant, and imaginative minds were snuffed by a relatively ineffective and limiting teaching method.
• One teacher said that he would trade in his BA and MA for the two weeks he’s had at ICELP and the recent weekend at YO
• The trip this weekend to YO was moving and referred to the Yemin Orde staff as their counterparts.
• The Teachers are amazed by Israelis’ inquisitiveness, the many questions they ask, and their bold curiosity
• YO gave them a taste of what ASYV may look like in practice.
• Their meeting with Elie Wiesel was beyond moving. He addressed the group in French and shared his insights into the Genocide (before and after) -
Sowing Seeds for Future Generations: “Those who sow in tears will reap in joy” (Psalm 126)
Anne Heyman, ASYV Founder, visited the site in May to see the construction that is currently forging ahead. While there, she planted a tree – a symbol of the students who will also put down strong roots at ASYV. Through its nurturing environment, individualized therapies and other innovative methodologies, ASYV will sow the seeds that will ultimately maximize each student’s potential, cultivating the youth to grow into contributing members of society
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ASYV April 2008 Update
Dear ASYV Partners, Friends, and Supporters,
As I read through the April 2008 Update of the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV), I am amazed by the astounding progress we have made so far and excited by how much is yet to unfold. For a continuous update on the development of the project, as well as more photographs, please visit our website www.agahozo-shalom.org.
April is Genocide Memorial Month in Rwanda, and I cannot think of a more fitting way to mark the moment than by pledging our determination to say ‘never again’ by creating ASYV – a place where Rwanda’s next generation will garner the tools they need to build a brighter future for themselves and their country. Thank you for partnering with us in this vital endeavor.
With best regards,
October 2007 – April 2008
Major Accomplishments• Visit to Israel by two ASYV Management Team members to finalize the adaptation of the Israeli model to Rwanda
• First draft of informal and formal curricula developed
• Job descriptions developed for teachers and staff at the Village
• Phase 1 of the building process solidified
• Hiring of Project Manager to oversee construction
• Study on alternative uses of energy commissioned
• Final contract signed between JDC and ICELP
• Interviews for -and hiring of- the two year Interim Village Director
• Furnishing/supplies needed for phase 1 compiled by Village Needs Committee
• Training in the U.S for Head of High School and Head of Informal Education
• Close to $6 million raised; a further $5.5 needed
• Event for first group of bnei mitzvah who donated their gifts to ASYV
• ASYV local office opened in Kigali, Rwanda
• JDC Board Members visit to Rwanda[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
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ASYV October 2007 Update
Dear ASYV Partners, Friends, and Supporters
Greetings! We would like to share some exciting news with you regarding the development of the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, a special project of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). As you will see from the attached Update, we continue to make great progress on all fronts, little of which would be possible without your prayers and support; so please receive our gratitude as well.
If you have thoughts, questions or suggestions which you would like to share, please contact us at info@agahozo-shalom.org.
Until next time,
April – September 2007
Major Accomplishments• Completion of architectural schematic designs
• Project’s website and informational package developed
• Rally for Rowley fundraising campaign
• Travel to Rwanda of US based architecture advisor for an extended meeting with the architectural firm
• Contract signed with major Rwandan construction company
• Travel to Rwanda of the Ethiopian-Israeli Volunteer Team, ASYV’s US-based Advisory Board members, and representatives from Liquidnet Holdings, Inc.’s Global Social Engagement Division
• Groundbreaking Event and Ceremony at site of ASYV in Rubona, Rwanda
• Audience with H.E. President Paul Kagame
• Hiring of future Head of High School
• Hiring of future Head of Informal Education
• Construction under way
• Development of training program and related budget for ASYV staff and students in the ICELP Educational Methods (www.icelp.org) (in development)
• Fundraising Master Plan (in development)[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
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ASYV April 2007 Update
January – April 2007
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS• Purchase of the 58.7 Ha piece of land where ASYV is about to be built
• Completion of the Inception phase in building process
• Opening of JDC-ASYV bank accounts in Rwanda (Dollar & local currency)
• Project’s Website and informational package in development
• ASYV short movie completed
• Important Educational documents gathered from Rwandan Ministry of Education
• Training Program and related budget established for Ethiopian Israelis
• Development of Training Program and related budget for ASYV staff in Mediated Learning Experience
• Fundraising Master Plan in Development
• Major funding commitment from Corporation
• Project and Founder honored by association of philanthropists[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
