AIC Outing to Agahoza-Shalom Youth Village

          Last "spring" AIC  took a tour of the 

Agahoza Shalom Youth Village 

which is a boarding school with a twist! 

Their mission:

"To enable orphaned and vulnerable youth to realize their maximum potential by providing them with a safe and secure living environment, health care, education and necessary life skills. Education and service are used to model and create socially responsible citizens in Rwanda and around the world."

Here we are under the tree!

This is Anne, the founder! 

Our tour guide filling us in on how ASYV began! 

A Valentine letter --a Tribute to Anne

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This is what I like personally about about how this village is run!
Every school should operate like this! 

One of the kids in their family house.  Each student lives in a family house with a Mama or Aunts or Uncles as their leaders.

Their living room!

A look at some of the houses!

These are the two woman that joined forces to serve
 children in Rwanda who were in need.

 The sad part of this story is that both of these young women had
untimely deaths.  Anne in a horse riding accident and Sifa
in a car accident.  The lose of these women has given
the children at the village even more love for them and each
other. 

The amphitheater…

and view from it!

The grounds are quite pretty and well groomed.

 Peaceful and Restful!

Moving on down to the farm.

Raising a lot of their foods help sustain the place and also gives

opportunities for the kids to learn about farming and

animal care.

We weren't sure what these were.

 

Then on to the classroom! 

Creative way to move equipment! 

Working on circuits!

Does this look familiar to anyone? 

The kids were wiring these paper houses that they had built. 

Fascinating!

 Creating Energy…

Architecture!

And Power! 

From there we moved to the arts!

Practice Rooms!

Paintings!

 A special place…. the 

The view from classrooms on the top of the hill!
Looking down over the village. 

Can you imagine living and going to school at a place like this! 

Then we went to have lunch with the students!

I sat down with Frank… who I discovered
wants to go to Wheaton College…
my alma mater.   It is such a small world.
Great time talking with Frank and many others
at the table..  Left feeling like every school should be like
this… a happy, respectful place to live and learn. 

This guy was telling us to leave the premises…. on our way out!

 But these dolls were happy to see us!

Had to shoot through the window but couldn't miss this shot of ALL these bananas being carried on bicycles. 

And then, there it was… a bill board for a John Deere tractor!
What a way to end the day!

Thank you, Becky… for a great tour
and for letting us get a glimpse of what Agahoza-Shalom
is all about.

I pray that the children who are attending
ASYV will be among the leaders of Rwanda in years to come!

love,
margie