Restore the Rhythm of Life for 500 Rwandan Youth

On October 20th, we celebrated Ishema Grade's graduation. The fifth Class to graduate from The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, Ishema Grade joins an illustrious group of alumni, now numbering over 600. Thanks to your generosity, every one of our graduates develops a resilient sense of determination and a profound hope for the future. With 335 of our alumni studying at university in Rwanda or abroad, and 83 of our alumni working across Rwanda or serving as interns in the Village, we have every confidence that Ishema Grade will pay it forward in similar ways.

With the understanding that many of our students will never get to enjoy another graduation ceremony, we always do our best to make the event memorable. Following a moment of silence in honor of our late Founder, Anne Heyman, the first speaker of the day stepped up to the podium. Vincent Kalimba, our Village Director, recounted all of the ways Ishema Grade has given back to the community. From building houses to cultivating kitchen gardens, the students of Ishema grade have been eager and effective change-makers. In his closing remarks, Vincent called on our graduates to keep it up as "socially responsible citizens." We have no doubt that they will exceed even our greatest expectations.

During one of the more moving segments of the ceremony, graduates of Ishema Grade then shared their memories and ideas for the future. From a video recounting all of the ways Agahozo-Shalom has made a difference in their lives, to a spoken word performance asking every graduate to work hard to achieve their dreams, our graduates showed that Agahozo-Shalom healed their hearts, and gave them the courage to heal others, too.

Finally, it was Ornella's turn to speak. Valedictorian of Ishema Grade, Founder of Girl Up ASYV, and a four-time National Debate champion, Ornella rose above a neglectful background in the spirit of Agahozo-Shalom. Given the chance to speak to her brothers and sisters of the Village, Ornella praised her peers before asking them to "light up the world with their luminous light." As Ornella said, she and her classmates once suffered in the darkness, but now they have the knowledge, skills, and drive to light up Rwanda and the world.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Ishema Grade's graduation ceremony, and thank you again for your generosity. None of this would have been possible without you.