Our donors and partners are more than supporters - they make the dream of ASYV a reality. Thank you to all of our ASYV family for making a difference in the lives of our students.

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Supporter spotlight 

Ed & Barbara Shapiro

Since 2016, Ed and Barbara Shapiro have dedicated themselves and the Shapiro Foundation to tackling the global refugee crisis. For even longer, they’ve found inspiration in Nelson Mandela’s words, “History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children.”

Their commitment to making that difference drew them to the students of ASYV, but, for a while, circumstances got in the way. On their first trip through Rubona, where the Village is located, Ed and Barbara didn't yet know of ASYV—and they drove right past us. They planned to return to visit us and our students in March 2020—but they couldn’t travel due to COVID-19. In November 2023, we were thrilled to finally welcome the Shapiros inside our gates. 

During their visit, Ed and Barbara met with our students, including our 25 current refugee students, and were inspired to deepen their connection with our community. Starting with the upcoming school year, we plan to admit between 12 and 14 refugee students per first-year class, nearly double the current number. Ed and Barbara have pledged to support each refugee student's ASYV journey over the next five years.

Together, we're also finalizing plans to work with a Rwandan partner organization to ensure young refugees living throughout the country can access quality education and benefit from ASYV’s holistic programming. Ed and Barbara hope the new program will show that refugees in Rwanda and around the world can contribute to building a better future for their host country. They just need access to healing, education, and love—and ASYV knows just how to provide those. Thank you for making hope possible for students, like Solaya, and for being part of our Village family.

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