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. He exudes a warm, kind-hearted nature that is downright contagious. Jimmy graduated in January and was one of the members of his grade that was hand-picked to stay on at ASYV this year as an Intern (ASYV chooses the best of their graduates to serve as interns in various departments). Jimmy is an agricultural intern working at the Farm, but he is also a musical virtuoso and helps teach guitar and music through enrichment programs to younger students. On our first Saturday, as we were taking our official tour around the Village, we happened upon Jimmy in the music center, sitting with a few other students practicing guitar. When Jimmy saw us peering in from the door, he insisted we come in and join them. I was immediately handed a guitar and he proceeded to try to teach me to play a few chords, despite my complete lack of ability. I felt immediately welcome and a part of the group, despite the fact that I’d never met any of them before I walked in. Jimmy has that way with people. Another student described Jimmy as his role model – he described how Jimmy treats him like a real brother and is always looking out for him and offering his help. And I totally get it. Jimmy reminded me how easy and important it is to be a decent human and inspires me to strive to be better each day.
#africamp 