By Matthew Matola | Development Associate
The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village is home to 524 students, all of whom have developed some really remarkable talents during their time in the Village. Pascal-Claudien, also known as N-Pac, is one such student. A member of the current Senior 5 Class, or 11th Grade, Pascal-Claudien loves visual art, and he's known for spending nearly all of his free time sketching, drawing, and painting. In this report, we have decided to share with you a bit more about students like Pascal-Claudien, students whose health and happiness are possible because of your generosity. We hope you enjoy getting to know them.
Pascal-Claudien credits his mother with his love of art. After she passed away, Pascal-Claudien says that he "wanted to discover the reason why it was such a passion of hers." Thanks to the Village's art room and encouraging instructors, Pascal-Claudien indicates that coming to the Village allowed him to do just that. He says that he has "flourished as an artist," learning to do "exciting things with [his] artwork - things [he] could never have dreamed of before." He adds that in the Village, the artistic process is therapeutic, and that it gives him hope for the future. Now, Pascal-Claudien plans to study art at university, and we have every confidence that he will do amazing things.
Another accomplished Senior 5 student is Aimable. While Pascal-Claudien has cultivated a talent for art, Aimable has developed an equally impressive penchant for sport. Football had always been one of Aimable's great loves, so he immediately tried to join the football team when he arrived in the Village. He attended every training session and soon earned a place on the field. Aimable indicates that the Village "helped [him] to improve...because before arriving here [he] had to play with poor equipment," adding that playing on the Village's team taught him "the importance of respect and integrity," and gave him confidence. Now, having led his team to victory in the district cup, Captain Aimable is showing no signs of slowing down.
Finally, we would like to introduce Germaine. A Senior 5 student, Germaine has a strong personal fascination with entrepreneurship. When Principal Mujyeneza informed his students of a national essay writing competition, Germaine decided right away that she would enter an essay entitled, "The Power of Entrepreneurship Education in Rwanda." The Village chose her essay to represent the school, and she won the national competition! Germaine describes her winning essay as her "greatest achievement" at the Village, something accomplished thanks to her own hard work and the "access we have to various opportunities in the Village."
Thank you for taking the time to learn just a bit about some of our village's students. Of course, this was a rather brief look into the lives of only a few. Thanks to your support, the Village has already been able to help nearly 1,100 of such bright young people, and we are eager to continue our work in the months and years ahead. These young people truly are the future of Rwanda, and it is due to your continuing compassion that the Village is able to help them reach their full potential. Once again, murakoze cyane (Thank you very much)!
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