Rebuilding a hopeful future for Rwandan orphans

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

Agahozo-Shalom Today, in the Rwandan Context The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village was created as a direct response to the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide. Central to its implementation, was the creation of a future cadre of Rwandans who valued life universal, understood the importance of community service, and committed themselves to ideals of justice and human rights protection, so as to prevent Genocide from ever happening again.

Agahozo-Shalom would also introduce new paradigms in child care and educational methodologies, acting as a model “sustainable development project”. To this end, the Agahozo-Shalom team studied the Rwandan culture and history, the government’s policies on Education, as well as its Vision 2020 plan as pertains to education, poverty reduction, and overall development. Then programs were developed incorporating these guidelines and adding proven global innovative systems and techniques.

The physical site of the Village -two hills overlooking a beautiful lake- was chosen to illustrate the village’s philosophy of inspiring young people to “see far” and dream a better and beautiful world. The school is situated far from the houses to exemplify a regular rhythm of life, where the home life is separate from the school -kids wake up, eat breakfast, and then walk 10 minutes to school, like from a normal suburbia family rather than an educational institution. The school also sits on the higher hill, to highlight the importance of applying informed judgment and free thinking in every decision we make in life, once more aiming at a holistic development, which is in line with Rwanda’s goals for its citizens.

Currently, the constructed village includes residential housing in a group-home model, a fully-functional high school with science and computer laboratories, a learning center, an arts center, a health and wellness center, sports fields, a dining hall and community center, and a sustainable agricultural farm.

Visitors’ housing is also being built, to host the many groups and individuals who will come to Agahozo-Shalom for volunteer experiences, exchange programs and professional seminars. Construction is environmentally friendly, and the Village is energy-conscious, continuing to explore the best alternative energy methods for future use. Turning 145 acres of wild land into a structured, safe and functioning youth village is not an easy task, but slowly, the landscape is taking shape, and soon the newly planted trees will begin flowering.

With regards to the educational programs, the high school “catch up year” started with the Rwandan academic year in January 2009. Agahozo-Shalom’s tailor-made, full-scale high school curriculum recognizes the philosophy of developing the students both cognitively and socially, and also ensures its pedagogy is appropriate and in line with the Rwandan context. Schooling is geared towards university while also supporting students who choose to pursue vocational tracks, which include IT, agro-forestry and organic farming.

The curriculum at the school focuses on class participation; it encourages student’s investigation and inquiry, while sharpening the cognitive skills needed for the thinking to take place. At home, emphasis is on participation, team work and community involvement as a means for sustainable development and lasting peace. The main goal is to expand their willingness, skills, and capacity to become contributing members of society.

Several after school activities are available for kids to choose from, including art, music, karate, volleyball, basketball, soccer, basket making, cooking, a formal Itorero (traditional Rwandan singing group), and more. The Learning Center and the Art and Music Center provide opportunities for the students to do homework, read a book in the library, and learn to use computers, play an instrument, or draw. The students are also very engaged in developing the farm, where they work every Saturday and some also work there voluntarily during their free time. Currently, the organic vegetable garden is being prepared and students have already planted several types of fruit trees. The farm brings a tangible sense of achievement, new agricultural skills, and also contributes towards the sustainability of the Village.

Enabling the students to feel supported and gain self-confidence by becoming part of a family unit is a key component of Agahozo-Shalom. So each day ends with "family time”, when the house members come together to talk, share, and gradually build relationships, and each week ends with a “village time” -Friday night- where various “Clubs” share their thoughts/activities with the entire village. Saturday night is a “movie night”. (Religion is accommodated as necessary, with kids attending their respective services on Friday, Saturday or Sunday depending on whether they want to and are Muslims, Seventh day Adventists, or ‘Sunday’ Christians).

Who are The Youth at Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village:

Agahozo-Shalom’s newest residents are 125 teenage orphans, between the ages of 16 and 18 years old. Roughly 60% are girls and 40% boys; all were infants or toddlers at the time of the Genocide. They were recruited equally from all 30 districts of Rwanda for a total of 120; the remaining 5 spots were filled by staff’s dependents who met the eligibility criteria. The youth live in groups of 15 or 16 per house -all boys or all girls, with one housemother sharing the home with them, and a dedicated counselor ‘big brother/sister’ for each group. In addition to these caretakers, the kids are surrounded by other adults and potential role models in different administrative positions, as well as at the school. In total, 60 Rwandan and 2 expatriate staff as well as 8 Israeli and US volunteers are there to educate and take care of the children who now call Agahozo-Shalom their home.

Over the course of the last three months, the children have gotten acquainted with Agahozo-Shalom’s educational philosophy and are starting to practice it in their daily lives, using words like “mediation” or “see far” in private conversations, and taking initiatives for community betterment.

When, in December, founder Anne Heyman welcomed them with the promise to always be there no matter what, from the looks on their faces, they must have wondered about the authenticity of that statement. They were told that once part of the Agahozo-Shalom family, they will always be family, that they should now stop worrying about survival and begin to dream big for themselves, their communities, and their country. They might have wondered how they would contribute to a better world -never mind why - but they didn’t; they asked to hear more about the Tikkun Olam (mending the world) concept, and it seems are already putting it in action. They have embraced the housemothers and counselors -whom they call mom or big sister/brother, they look after their surroundings and houses, perform community service, go to school and ask to know more, farm their vegetable garden, offer to cook for their chef “uncle”, and sing and dance and paint and read.

The Agahozo-Shalom kids are representatives of the resilience, willingness and capacity to rise again for Rwanda!

Agahozo-Shalom’s philosophy in Action:

Agahozo-Shalom’s primary goal is to provide a supportive family life to the youth, adequate mental and physical healthcare, as well as a quality high school education with the opportunity to develop vocational skills as well. The intent is to provide a foundation which will enable them to take ownership of their lives and responsibility for their future families and communities. In a very short time the children have understood that they are being provided with tools for them to use at will; they have welcomed the challenge and appreciate the trust. Last week, after only 3 months of living in the village, they started spring vacation, and many were eager to go visit their previous neighbors and/or guardians and tell them about Agahozo-Shalom. In no time Jean-Pierre, Agahozo-Shalom’s head of Informal Education, was receiving phone calls from astonished guardians: “they have changed in the way they think about life, their logic of things, and everything -what are you teaching them, and what is your secret?”

We believe the secret is permanence -a real home- and ‘parental’ support such as one would get from a biological parent. The Agahozo-Shalom kids know that they now have a permanent home in which to feel loved, championed, and encouraged to explore. They are learning that the healing of the self is enhanced by the healing of others, and that personal success is linked to community realization. They are beginning to understand that they are being given tools to develop their physical, intellectual, and artistic abilities, and there is an expectation that they will use them in the service of their communities.

Agahozo-Shalom is not a charity, an orphanage or a boarding school, but a support system where the children can develop their own aptitudes. It’s a blessing that in less than three months, they are anxious to visit their previous homes and share this core belief in everyone’s ability to impact the world for the better.

Summary of Major Accomplishments January-March 2009:

• Happy New Year celebration with 125 kids! • January 12th, nearly a month after the village is fully operational; the “Liquidnet Family High School” is in session for the academic catch up year. • The individualized Learning Assessment is carried out; cognitive measurements reveal a high functi