At ASYV, we work to help each student discover their passions and talents, then develop the skills they need to turn those interests into thriving careers. At the end of each school year, our Career Resources Center pairs interested students with summer opportunities that will help them get hands-on professional experience, learn about new cultures, and/or deepen their academic expertise. We sat down with several students to discuss their summer activities.

Our graduates are hard at work building thriving lives and a better future for Rwanda and the world. We recently sat down with three alumni to hear about what they’ve been up to since graduation and what they hope to do next. In addition, the graduates of our 2024 practical skills program are thriving in the work force. Learn more about their jobs and small businesses.

I’m writing to share some bittersweet news. After eight years, I am transitioning out of my role as ASYV’s Chief Advancement and Strategy Officer. My successor, Katie Messick, brings what the Village needs for its next steps. I can’t wait to see all she accomplishes.

Since our founding, we’ve had a vision for a better future—one in which our model can reach young people in need of healing, education, and love across Rwanda, the region, and one day, the globe. I’m thrilled to share that now, thanks to an analysis conducted in partnership with faculty and staff from the Tulane University, we’re close to making that dream a reality.

On May 16, the 126 members of our Intwali (meaning “hero” in Kinyarwanda) Grade, celebrated their graduation from the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV). They also embraced the incredible possibility their futures hold. See highlights from graduation day!

Every spring, we invite our students to showcase their creativity, knowledge, and problem-solving skills by submitting original projects to the Village STEAM Fair. This year’s theme was “Innovate for a Sustainable Future.” We sat down with two students whose group science projects took home top awards. In addition, we explore our first-ever Next Gen Talks—an ASYV spin on TED Talks.

April 2025 begins Kwibuka 31, the 31st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. A group of ASYV students created this video to honor the memory of the more than one million lives lost during the 100 tragic days and to recommit to our obligation to always unite against hate. 

Each March, the students and staff of ASYV come together to celebrate Women’s History Month. Below are highlights of how all our students, both girls and boys, are standing together to create a more equitable future. We’re also thrilled to share the launch of the new Ikaze Refugee Impact Scholarship and a moving and original student performance.

More Rwandans work in agriculture than any other industry, and many of our kids cultivate an interest in agribusiness and improving agricultural sustainability through their classes and working on the Village’s thriving farm. We sat down with two such alumni, Ferdinand Turatsinze, and Marie Agnes Muhongerwa.

At ASYV, each of our students finds a home—and starts a journey. Watch two videos, directed by Ngabonziza Libens, ASYV Class of 2018, that explore that journey and the future each of our kids, and are entire Village family, are working to build.

I remember sitting during family time in the Village, and everyone was talking about their role models. Four students mentioned Nelson Mandela, and I imagined how incredible it would be if he could return and see just how deeply his actions have inspired generations.

I joined Critical Thinking For Peace in my first year at ASYV. In truth, I joined without knowing what the club does, but I found that I loved it. We learn about critical thinking and do Model United Nations. You learn a lot by putting yourself in others’ shoes, and trying to address the problem from the point of view of a certain country in a certain situation. You're embracing that empathy within you and that opens up your mind.

Growing up, I noticed that many individuals in my community were indifferent to the different behaviors around them, allowing negativity and chaos to go unchecked. This lack of guidance stirred something within me—I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to be the kind of leader who inspired others—not through authority, but through positive influence and genuine care

I’m a person who tries to showcase my ideas through filmmaking. I want to challenge myself creatively every single day. When I wake up, I just want to make the next step in the next video I'm producing. I was asked by JC, ASYV’s CEO, to film the recording studio opening because he wanted the best video, and that is what I tried to deliver.

The theme of the 2024 edition of the Liquidnet Student Magazine is “Be the Change, Write Your Own Story.” Expressing yourself through writing is powerful and liberating. Imagine crafting worlds, evoking emotions, and sharing ideas—all through words.

Before the Grand Study Tour, like most Rwandans, I would use the statement “a land of a thousand hills,” but I couldn’t imagine how a country like Rwanda, which is among the smallest in the world, could actually hold a thousand hills. By the time our bus approached the Western Province, I was very amazed. 

A poem by Ihimbazwe Umutesi Tumusifu, ASYV Class of 2024

One day, I was sitting in an electronics class, and the teacher explained that in this class, we are trained to become problem solvers. In my home community, I often saw people with missing limbs and trouble moving. I started thinking about a project I could make that would help people with physical disabilities.

Third-year student Pacifique Ishimwe discusses a Tikkun Olam—repairing the world—initiative he started to help students at a primary school neighboring ASYV learn English. Prior to coming to the Village, Pacifique attended the school himself.

Visual art is my rhythmic breath. A dance of inhales and exhales, where each stroke births beauty born of creation and dreams. In this space, knowledge graciously steps aside, allowing the boundless expanse of imagination to take center stage—meaning that knowing is nothing at all but to imagine is everything.