A Game-Changing Second Term
Dear Friends,
Triumph fills the air at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) as our students return to inter-school sports competitions after a long pandemic-induced hiatus, and we get back into the rhythm of sharing the Village’s magic with visitors from all over the world. The magic itself seems reinvigorated, as I see it shining in our students’ faces and feel it in my heart.
Your support makes these moments possible. We are pleased to share these updates from the Village with you and include you in our ASYV family.
Sincerely,
Jean-Claude Nkulikiyimfura
Executive Director, Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village
Game Day
Catching Up with Patrick Ishimwe
Patrick is captain of this year's winning ASYV boys basketball team.
For many of our students, athletics prove key to finding a passion and ‘Tikkun Halev,’ or the healing of the heart. For those students and all Village sports fans, 2022 has shaped up to be an exciting year. Several of our teams, including the boys’ basketball team, have clinched our sector title and moved on to the district tournament. To mark the accomplishment, we sat down to talk with Senior 6 student Patrick Ishimwe, a basketball star who came to ASYV after conflict forced his family to flee Burundi.
How did you start playing basketball?
When I was young, I played football (soccer). I didn’t start playing basketball until I was 12 years old. I worked hard and slowly I started to love the game. It became my home and my favorite game and activity.
How do you think basketball has impacted you?
Patrick on ASYV's See Far Road.
At the refugee camp, there were many many vulnerable people. At the time, I had no self-confidence and was scared to take responsibility for myself and others. But I always wanted to be a leader. The ASYV courts, coaches, staff, and teachers and my teammates have all been key to who I am today. I am now the captain of the Village basketball team, and it is a great honor.
This opportunity didn’t come easily, and there were many challenges. But ASYV showed me that everything is possible, and inspired me to become the leader I hoped to be when I was a kid.
What does it mean to you to play basketball representing ASYV?
Being captain and representing ASYV and my teammates makes me feel happy, proud, and important to the community. Playing for ASYV also brings me hope that if I keep giving my all to what I do, the effort will be paid back to me and my community.
What are your future plans?
If it is possible, I hope to keep playing basketball while continuing my studies. I am trying to fill out as many university applications as I can, so I can find a school that allows me to continue to play while also getting a good education. I want to study economics and business, and one day become either a basketball player or a businessman. Plan A would be basketball, but plan B also excites me. Maybe if I can combine basketball and business that would be best for me!
Home Game
Urukundo Brings Sexual and Reproductive Health Board Game to ASYV
Enrichment Year boys play the Urukundo Initiative's health education board game.
First-year student Annick Rusanganwa shrieked with laughter as a roll of the dice brought her to the exact location on the board that could secure her a win. All she had to do was answer one last health education trivia question correctly. Annick slammed the card down on the table and bellowed the correct answer, as her peers groaned and laughed.
Similar scenes could be found throughout the Village last month, as our kids tested Rwanda’s first-ever licensed sexual and reproductive health education board game, made by the Urukundo Initiative. All ASYV students enroll in life skills classes that cover a range of topics, including sexual and reproductive health. But the game provides a new forum for kids to ask their “embarrassing” questions in a more light-hearted setting. “In life skills class, we know that we are studying, but with the game we feel free because it is just us girls hanging out but also learning,” explained Annick.
Next, we hope to help the Urukundo game go national. Through support from the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, the Village is developing a new life skills curriculum that aims to overcome common sexual and reproductive health myths and misunderstandings and offer up-to-date, evidence-based information. After testing the curriculum within our gates, we plan to disseminate it to kids across Rwanda through our Educational Resilience Program, a national teacher training program.
We believe Urukundo will prove a game-changing addition to the curriculum. An hour after Annick had completed a victory parade through her ASYV family residence, she and her sisters could still be found sitting together discussing what they had learned.
Visitors Spotlight
Guests from UNC Join Students on a Village Scavenger Hunt
On Thursday, March 10, we welcomed a group of MBA students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) for an overnight visit. During the group’s stay, Village staff organized a fun new way for the students and visitors to connect—a scavenger hunt! “I was surprised by how knowledgeable the visitors all were,” said first-year student Merveille Ishimwe. “They had a lot to share with us!”
During the hunt, clues pointed groups of students and visitors towards Village landmarks, where they would collaborate in activities. At the farm, for example, the participants taught one another the names of animals and plants in Kinyarwanda and English. “The children’s perspective on life was invigorating and refreshing,” said visitor Ricardo Ruiz Colliard. “The experience helped me reconnect with what I consider one of the most important pillars of my life, community.”
Virtual Trivia Night is Back
Join Us on March 31st!
Join us for a night of community and fun with a purpose. Trivia will cover a range of topics and is open to all ages.
THURSDAY, MARCH 31ST
7:45 - 9:15PM EST
Zoom room opens at 7:30pm
To register, visit asyv.org/virtualtrivia.