It is hard to describe the experience of living and becoming a part of the Agahozo Shalom community. We have been touched and overwhelmed by how genuinely we were welcomed in as soon as we stepped foot through the ASYV gates. Whether it was a wave and friendly smile, a passing “Hello” or “Good Morning”, an invitation to join a table for lunch, an out-of-the-blue onslaught of serious and complex questions about politics and the future of the U.S. (do Americans really like Donald Trump?), a request for help with an essay or speech, a willingness to just chat about life and open up about hopes and dreams, participating in our English classes, an out-of-the-way handshake, or the many many more connections and interactions of all shapes and sizes — this place and everyone in it has left a permanent impression on us and we will carry the relationships and memories with us for the rest of our lives.
To really understand what Agahozo Shalom Youth Village is really all about, you have to understand the people who live there. We could probably spend days or weeks regaling you with detail upon detail about each person we met, everything we did day in and day out at the Village, and the experiences (expected and not) that we’ve shared together. Instead, we hope you’ll enjoy an insight into the lives and personalities of a few amazing friends we met along the way, so you can begin to understand why we are brimming with inspiration, hope and love and how these people and this place have truly nourished our souls.
These are the faces of Agahozo Shalom.
BERTIN
Age: 18
From: Southern Province, Ruhango Districat, Kinazi Sector
Grade: Ishema (S6)
ASYV Family: Martin Luther King Jr.
Goal: I want to be and independent person, open my own business to make and sell art
Role Model: Vincent Van Gogh, he was an artist and he tried to use his art to change the lives of people around him
Hobbies: Art, basketball with friends, and writing sketches and theater
We met Bertin one afternoon while we were helping out with an S6 TOEFL study session in the dining hall. Since it is a large, open space, most days you can find a large number of students in the dining hall in formal study groups or just studying individually around the room. After TOEFL concluded, Auntie Phyllis (another adult volunteer here for the first term only), called us over where she was sitting at her laptop with a student, Bertin. Read More…
BONFILS
Age: 20
From: Kigali
Grade: Ingenzi (graduated Jan. 2016)
ASYV Family: Steve Jobs
Goal: If I am going to study (economics and finance), I need to be financially sound in order to afford school. When my mother died, my father didn’t get remarried – he just focused on me, lived with me, did everything to give me what I needed. I feel like I owe him something. So, to deliver that, there is a lot that I should do… I must work very hard. Seize every opportunity.
Favorite Quote: Every morning when I woke up, my dad would polish my shoes and tell me, “I’m doing this for you that you should be able to do it for your kids.” He would also say, “There are two things in you – a good dog and a bad dog. It is you who will choose which dog you are going to be.”
Hobbies: Going outside at night and watching the stars. I also love talking to people – I never had a lot of people around me when I grew up, so now I love enjoying the company of other people.
Bonfils and Maxime immediately impressed us with their eloquent English, interest and ability to articulate serious and complicated ideas, and giving off a general air of optimism about their impending future. Read More…
CLAUDINE
Age: 22
From: Western Province, Rusizi District
Grade: Ingenzi (graduated Jan. 2016)
ASYV Family: Dr. David Livingston
Goals: Continue to study at university in Cameroon (she received a scholarship to University of La Roche beginning in August 2016), study business and eventually run my own business like my sister in Uganda who runs her own supermarket.
Favorite Quote: “Try and fail, but never fail to try.” It has been my favorite quote since S1.
Hobbies: Poetry, conversations with people and debating
We were told to look for someone with an “ASYV” sign when we landed at Kigali International Airport. We exited the arrivals hall and immediately spotted Issa, ASYV’s Director of Operations standing next to a girl holding, as promised, a sign with the letters “ASYV”. Read More…
FAUSTIN
Age: 19
From: Western Province, Rubavu District
Grade: Imena (S4)
ASYV Family: Alexander the Great
Goal: Create my own job editing videos and photographs…or maybe become a professor of linguistics, since I like teaching and conversing with many people who are different from me.
Favorite Quote: “You reap what you sow” – The Bible and “If you manage your time, you can create success.” I combine these two to create my own philosophy for life.
Hobbies: Taking photos at the village, since I don’t have a camera at home. So at the village I spend my free time taking photos and videos and editing them at the media center. I also like playing football and talking to people, especially about how we can make our country happy and proud and discussing the problems we face and how we can solve them.
Some of the warmest people you will ever meet are not those who jump out to you to shake your hand when you walk into a room. Faustin is unassuming but has a quiet kindness and warmth that quickly turns into a lively conversationalist. Read More…
JEAN DE DIEU (AKA “JADO”)
Age: 19
From: Southern Province, Butare
Grade: Isonga (EY)
ASYV Family: Wright Brothers
Goal: To be a producer for audio songs and video editing – I think that’s the first thing I’ll do after I leave here.
Role Model: Frank, a graduate and intern, who works with the Media department and Jimmy, another graduate and intern, who teaches music. They are both active and creative and always looking for ways to help their brothers. They look at us like real brothers and show us real love.
Hobbies: Photography, videography and audio recording. “I used to produce my own music at home, mostly hip hop, R&B, and pop” – he found artists to come into the studio and then would edit it all together.
Jado is one of those people when you make eye contact with him from across the room, he flashes you a big smile and you can’t help but return it with one of your own. A true jack-of-all trades, Jado is involved with the traditional dance club, does photography, videography and plays guitar! Read More…
MARTINE
Age: 16
From: Kigali
Grade: Isonga (EY)
ASYV Family: Margaret Ekpo
Goal: She wants to finish her studies and eventually be a business leader and show that women can also be leaders in business in Africa
Favorite Quote: I don’t have to change my personality for the sake of others – Malcolm X
Hobbies: She loves singing, Celine Dion is her favorite singer and she enjoys playing basketball and spending time with friends
Our first full week helping with English enrichment classes was spent going through a variety of exercises and games to help the students get a better grasp on those pesky English prepositions. Many a class was spent holding out a pen, a book, or our hands to try to clearly show items that were over, under, next to, and in front of (among others) other objects in the class. Read More…
MODESTE
Age: 18
From: Kigali
Grade: Icyizere (S5)
ASYV Family: James Watt
Goal: “To be a business lawyer, yeah definitely.” To continue studies at university to learn and practice business law, since it will enable me to start my own business to help my community.
Favorite Quote: “When you dream, dream big.” and “Nothing can move forward until it starts.”
Hobbies: Poetry, reading, debate and theater
We met Modeste on our first evening in the Village. We arrived on a Friday just in time for Village Time (a weekly gathering of the whole ASYV community in the amphitheater for a variety of awesome performances by the students). We were thrown right into the mix by being escorted to the special “VIP” seats in the front row and being introduced publicly to the audience by the Executive Director. Read More…
MOSES
Age:15
From: Kigali
Grade: Isonga (EY)
ASYV Family: Isaac Newton
Goal: To be a pilot/aviator, it’s a low probability I’m still going to work towards it; if not an aviator, an engineer
Favorite Quote: “Genius is Patience” – Isaac Newton
Hobbies: Playing piano, football and volleyball, his favorite football team is Real Madrid and his favorite player is Christian Ronaldo
At our first breakfast at the Village after Mucaka-Mucaka (see description under Nadia), Moses approached and sat with us at the table. He introduced himself, asked who we were, why we came to the Village, what we thought about ASYV so far (less than 24 hours in, we didn’t quite have an answer for him, though we promised to revisit the question one week later), and then he did his best to explain and introduce us to different aspects of the Village so we could start wrapping our heads around life at Agahozo. Read More…
NADIA
Age: 17
From: Northern Province, Musanza District, Muhoza Sector
Grade: Isonga (EY)
ASYV Family: Saint Annibale
Goal: I want to go into tourism, be a tour guide in National Parks, I like English and talking to people
Role Model: St Annibale because he was a very good man who helped people without parents and no money to live
Hobbies: playing basketball, enjoying the company of friends and giving advice and helping others with their problems.
Every Saturday morning, the students of each grade participate in Mucaka-Mucaka (moo-CHAK-ah moo-CHAK-ah). Students gather at their grade’s designated meeting spot in the Village at 5:45am (yes, you read that correctly) and begin to run together as a group out of the Village and to one of the nearby towns, Rubona or Bicumbi, with each grade heading to different end points in town. Read More…
ORNELLA
Age: 18
From: Kigali
Grade: Ishema (S6)
ASYV Family: Eleanor Roosevelt
Goal: I want to study marketing and interior design and eventually do interior design professionally
Favorite Quote: “Don’t fear the space between your dreams and reality” – she doesn’t remember where she heard it but it means a lot to her
Hobbies: Her two favorite things to do during her free time are watching TED Talks and listening to reggae
Keep your eye on Ornella, because she’s doing big things. Whether she is leading the ASYV student-run production and performance company “Oregon Productions”, winning Debate Championships in Kigali, developing concepts to improve Women’s health through tech-based solutions, or working on her interior design and marketing skills, she’s on the way up. Read More…
OSCAR
Age: 21
From: Kigali
Grade: Icyizere (S5)
ASYV Family: Nelson Mandela
Goal: I want to go into business, either in starting a company that rents out A/V and other equipment for weddings or to buy cattle in Mutare Province to sell in Kigali
Favorite Quote: “Begin with the end in mind.” – Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and “It always seems impossible until it’s been done” – Nelson Mandela
Hobbies: Drumming, praying and preaching (Pentecostal)
We were starting in on our investigation of student leadership at the village and had our first meeting scheduled with the Student Government one afternoon after lunch. Since the meeting was arranged by other staff members, we realized that we had no idea who was even a part of the Student Government or how we would find them. We asked a student we know who introduced to Oscar. Read More…
PATRICK
Age: 19
From: Kigali
Grade: Icyizere (S5)
ASYV Family: Albert Einstein
Goal: wants to continue studies and eventually be a lawyer
Favorite Quote: “Compare yourself with the best, not with the worst. If you want to compare, compare with those who have achieved what we are struggling to achieve.” – President Paul Kagame
Hobby: Dancing – he started dancing for fun at Boom, and “people told me I was good, so I started practicing.” Now, he started his own dance trio, The Afro-Quakers (ASYV Dance Troupe)
We first met Patrick at Debate Team practice our first Saturday (and first full day) in the Village. As we learned quickly in our time in ASYV, almost any time we appeared at an event or activity, we were quickly asked to help lead or facilitate. Upon showing up to see what Debate Team was all about, I was immediately asked to help Maxime (an Intern and coach of the Debate Team) ‘judge’ a practice debate between two teams by taking notes on each speaker and providing feedback. Patrick’s passionate and inquisitive speaking style struck me immediately. Read More…
PIERRE (AKA “JIMMY”)
Age: 22
From: Southern Province, Ruhango District, but now lives in Kigali
Grade: Ingenzi (graduated Jan. 2016)
ASYV Family: Sir Ronald Ross
Goal: I have two plans – 1) I really love music and love playing and teaching guitar and singing. 2) I want to become an Agricultural Trainer. I want to help the community by teaching skills to improve agricultural techniques. It’s one of Rwanda’s main sectors, so I want to help make it professional. Agriculture is my passion – it seemed like a dream to me, but now it seems like a reality, because I’m getting experience now. I really want to make a positive change in the community.
Favorite Quote: “Hard Work Pays” – shared by someone at Village Time and it just stuck with me; and “Failure is a stepping stone to success.”
Hobbies: I like to give, to do Tikkun Olam, to help people. It’s the thing I like to do when I’m free – to find people who need help and to try to help them in any way I can. I also love playing guitar. I only started in the 2nd term of 2014 (S5 year), but now I play all the time.
Jimmy spots you and approaches with a big smile. Your day is immediately better. There is something special about Jimmy that forces you to let your guard down and stop thinking about things that you may have been stressing about moments before. Read More…
TANITA
Age: 15
From: Kicukiro District
Grade: Isonga (EY)
ASYV Family: Ida B. Wells
Goal: She wants to finish her studies and become a writer, either an author a journalist
Favorite Quote: Change the world with your smile but don’t let the world change your smile
Hobbies: She loves reading, her favorite book is Esparansa Rising, which is about a girl who loses her parents and has to overcome her adversity. She like the book so much because she empathizes with the protagonist.
When we arrived at our first Debate Team meeting on Saturday morning, it was already in progress. The students were sitting as a group in the Green Clubhouse while one student was standing at the far opposite side of the room, speaking loudly and leading the group in a call and response style exercise. The goal of the exercise was to practice voice projection and the student leading (by clear example) was Tanita… Read More…
#africamp 