Pictures and videos of Mukeshimana Deborah are hard to come by at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV). This is because she is generally found behind the camera. We sat down with her to talk about her time as Village Media Club president and her passion for the field.
Read MoreOctober 2021 Newsletter
On September 24, we joyfully welcomed our 13th class of Enrichment Year students to the Village. During their two-week orientation, the new students' creativity flourished and the kids built the groundwork for bonds that will last a lifetime.
Read MoreThis past week should have been a joyous one. On July 7, we had planned to hold our ninth graduation ceremony — a celebration of the Umurage Grade and all they have achieved in their four years in the Village. Unfortunately, with cases of Covid-19 rising significantly in Rwanda, the Rwandan Ministry of Education ordered schools to close on July 2 and we quickly mobilized to prepare our students to leave the Village once again.
Read MoreThe Mastercard Foundation has awarded the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village a transformational grant that will allow us to impact the lives of tens of thousands of students across Rwanda. With the financial support of the Mastercard Foundation, and the partnership of the Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology and the Rwanda Ministry of Education, we are launching the Educational Resilience Program (ERP).
Read MoreFor the staff of the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, there is a particular joy in welcoming a new colleague who was once a student at ASYV. We love to see our kids grow up and return home to help us raise the next generation. Today, 17 alumni are current staff members. Meet six of these remarkable employees.
Read MoreOn Monday, March 8th, the Village commemorated International Women's Day with a special celebration hosted by ASYV's Student Government. Speeches were shared by ASYV's Executive Director and Mamas. Students shared their own reflections and artwork via a special pre-recorded Virtual Village Time including poetry and photography.
Read MoreFamily Time is when our student families come together in the evening to laugh, debate, play games, share worries, welcome visitors, dance, and just be, together. So when our students returned to their homes in March, they knew they needed to find a way to continue this important nightly ritual, even if it meant convening virtually.
Read More"Don't thank me," our founder, Anne Heyman, always impressed upon our students. "Pay it forward." The spirit of Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for "repairing the world") is embedded deeply in the fabric of our ASYV family. So, when our alumni community learned that their fellow ASYV students and alumni are struggling with malnutrition as a result of the lockdown in Rwanda, they mobilized to help.
Read MoreMembers of the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village's Student Government have proven that distance can't stop them from fulfilling their important work of supporting the student body.
Read MoreInstead of celebrating International Women’s Day for just one day, the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village commemorated all month long with a series of events and our very own #EachforEqual campaign to match the International Women’s Day theme of 2020.
Read MoreWhat do Julius Nyerere, Helen Keller, and John Lennon all have in common? On the surface perhaps not much, but at ASYV, each of these individuals is the namesake of one of our Village families, a late hero identified for the legacy they left in life and the core values they embodied.
Choosing a hero to be a family’s namesake isn’t an easy process.
Read MoreLast week, ASYV's own Managing Director, Shiri Sandler sat down with i24 News for an interview about the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. Shiri speaks about the Village's roots in an Israeli model, its application to Rwanda's history and context, and our impact on more than 1,500 young people since the Village opened its doors to Rwanda's orphaned and vulnerable youth in 2008.
Read MoreEvery Monday and Wednesday, our students gather for a morning assembly before classes begin. On January 27th, ASYV students and educators gathered together to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day for the first time.
Read MoreAs students near the end of their time at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, they begin their next chapter strengthened by the support of our community and the lessons they learned about themselves along the way. They discover the power they have to not only change their own stories, but to write new stories that give us hope for the future and imagine a better world.
Julia’s is one of many stories of hope.
Read MoreAt ASYV, young people learn that there’s much more to their stories than the challenges that defined their earliest chapters. Through educational and extracurricular activities, students uncover unique passions, interests, and skills that open up new pathways in life.
For Alice, Flambeau, and many others, a new chapter of learning begins at ASYV, full of self-discovery and new possibilities for the future. Read more about Alice and Flambeau here.
Read MoreOn October 17, 2019, ASYV celebrated the graduated of its eighth class of students, the Isonga grade. Fabrice Mpozenzi served as the Isonga grade’s class representative and student speaker. Below is a transcript of Fabrice’s inspiring speech.
Read MoreFeeding over 500 hungry teenagers three meals a day is a difficult task. This is only possible because of the ASYV farm and kitchen. The journey that food takes to make it to the tables in the ASYV dining hall is remarkable.
Read MoreEzekel (Class of 2022) didn’t know how deeply he loved music before he sat in front of a piano. Growing up in Rwanda’s Northern Province, Ezekel couldn’t afford to play music at home, and his school didn’t have the resources to provide a musical education. That changed when Ezekel arrived at Agahozo-Shalom.
At ASYV, we believe that a student with a passion is a student more engaged with life. Enrichment programs in athletics and the arts, like volleyball and videography, give our students the opportunity to try something new and to learn about themselves.
For Ezekel, this journey began with the piano; he started slowly, learning keys and chords, and then he began devoting weekend time to practicing, outside of class. Ezekel had found something exciting, and he was soon ready to share that discovery with the Village. Read more at the link below.
Read MoreThe ASYV Champions League is the Village’s most competitive sporting event unparalleled in its ability to bestow prestige on a family or student.
The Champions League, an interfamily competition in basketball, volleyball and football (soccer), takes place each year from May through July. The competition is a big deal. Families game out strategies and organize practice days in advance. Mamas, Cousins, and Big Siblings coach and encourage their team. This year’s theme is “We Can Do it Better,” introducing the idea that we can always improve ourselves and our community. It also emphasizes that although we are competing against each other, we are still a family and one person’s success is a success for us all.
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