Latest Blog Posts
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The more you read; the more things you will know
The more you read; the more things you will know. The more that you learn; the more places you’ll go. ~Dr. SeussIn 2008 the Rwandan government made English the official language, and mandated that it was to be the primary language taught in all schools across the country. In accordance, Agahozo-Shalom is working on all fronts to make our students fluent English speakers, and equip them with the necessary tools to become future leaders within the global market. However, on the same note, we also understand the importance of ensuring that our kids have a firm grasp of their mother language, Kinyarwanda, as well as the formal official language, French.
One of the primary aspects of mastering a language is through reading. Here in the village we understand and are working to teach our students the connection between language comprehension and reading. It was in this vein that the village rallied behind Kalisa Eddy Jr, a Rwandan Enrichment year counselor, and Kasandra Antoine, a long-term volunteer from Connecticut and EFL coordinator, as they worked to relocate the library from the Science Center to one of the new club houses, and then to transform the space into a cheerful and comfortable space for our students to check out and read books, as well as study. Students from the Young Judea Year Course program assisted Kassandra and Eddy in organizing the multitude of book donations. Currently the library is divided into sections: Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced and Resource Books. Within each section the books are alphabetized so that students can easily find books. 
At the entrance of the library there is a mural with apple trees that will post suggested books to read. Each week different students and staff will contribute suggestions for the wall. Inside the library there will be motivational quotes. The library will act as a strong resource for students of the Village. Over this first term break, our enrichment year students were all assigned books in English and French to check out from the library, take home, read and then write a summary, which they would then submit to their respective teachers at school.In an additional effort to promote language development within the village, the entire village took part in a Reading Day on February 21st. The events of this day were planned and coordinated by the Language and Development Club, a club that leads different initiatives of language development in the Village. The purpose of Reading Day was to highlight the importance of learning English, and preserving the Kinyarwanda and French languages. Jean de Dieu, who at that time was the Senior 4 Grade Coordinator and well one of the Language and Development Club staff advisors, stated that Reading Day “encourages kids to read, get into the habit of reading, and get inspired by reading.
The main event was led by two Senior 5 students, Jacqline and Fuliha, and entailed various students sharing presentations on books they have read or reciting Rwandan proverbs. One of the highlights of the event was when Jennifer Bellisario, a long-term volunteer from New York and the music instructor in the Village, read a proverb in Kinyarwanda.
On March 20th, our English as a Foreign Language coordinator and long-term volunteer put on an English Quiz Night for our enrichment year students. The quiz night not only provided a fun and approachable means of promoting English, but also allowed the students to prepare one last time before the end of term English exam they would take the following day.
The enrichment year students gathered in one of the newly opened clubhouses, and were arranged into groups of six to battle it out in a Jeopardy-esque competition. Our students encountered a range of questions from categories such as “The or Not The,” “Present Simple Tense,” Have you Never,” and “Articles.” It took some time before the students were able to understand the rules of this commonly played American game, however after a few rounds, the students quickly caught on to the rules of the game. As the night carried on enthusiastic screams could be heard throughout the center and eager hands flailed as the more competitive contestants raced to score points for their teams. The winners of the quiz won a much-coveted prize of extra credit points on their English exam.
However, at ASYV, mastering languages is not something that is simply celebrated once a year on Reading Day or with an English Quiz night, rather it is integrated into daily life in the Village. In family homes, during family time you can hear both English and Kinyarwanda being weaved in and through discussions. Various EPs are taught or coached in English alone and it is not uncommon to hear English, Kinyarwanda, and French being mixed into the casual conversation of friends and staff as they pass along in the village. Together, Agahozo-Shalom’s formal and informal education departments are working tirelessly to ensure that our students become well versed in English, French and Kinyarwanda.
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Getting Schooled on the Sports field
It is not in the classroom alone that the students of Agahozo-Shalom are learning the value of hard work, respect and team building; these lessons have also been acquired and displayed on the sports field. Throughout the first term of the 2012 school year our students engaged in tests of speed, agility, and sportsmanship as they battled it out amongst themselves and neighboring teams in football, basketball and volleyball competitions. Saturday, February 25th marked the first day of inter-school competitions, as ASYV students met with students from the neighboring town of Rubona for friendly basketball and football matches. The boy’s soccer game resulted in a 3-1 win for Agahozo. The basketball game also proved to be a success for ASYV as the boy’s basketball team beat Rubona 64-32. Many students from Agahozo came to the sports complex to support their friends and watch the friendly sports competitions.
On Sunday, March 11th, the football and volleyball teams of Agahozo traveled 40 kilometers outside of Agahozo Shalom to play in the High School League Competition. Students from all four teams were bussed to Aurora High School where they played their respective sports. Boy’s volleyball won 3-0, girl’s volleyball won 2-0 and boy’s football won 1-0. While the girl’s football team lost 0-2, this game marked the first of its kind. This was the first time that Agahozo formed a girl’s football team and traveled outside of Agahozo to compete. The semifinals will take place in May. The winners of the semifinals will represent Rwamagana District and will move on to compete at the Province level. We are proud of our many students who competed in the games. We look forward to seeing what will happen in the semifinals.
A Visit from the National Basketball Coach
On Friday, March 2nd, the National Basketball Head Coach, Naned Amanovic, and his assistant, Mr. Charles, came to the Village to hold tryouts. Students from both the girl’s and boy’s basketball teams (which are coached by Counselor, Longin, and the Director of Operations, Eric) had the opportunity to try out for the National basketball team. Our students were extremely excited for the chance to try-out for the National Team.Only fifty students from all over the country will be chosen to move to the next round of try-outs. The students are not simply vying for a coveted spot on the Rwandan National Basketball team, but also the scholarship that comes with it. However, if a senior 6 student is not accepted on the team they can also opt to join a basketball team in Kigali in order to strengthen their skills for future opportunities to try-out for the National Team.
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Flying Eggs
On a sunny Monday afternoon students from all grades gathered around tall, metal water tower. Their eyes were all glued upwards in anticipation of falling eggs. It was a competition that had the kids curious and excited. Whose egg could drop all the way from the water tower and hit the ground without a scratch?
For weeks leading up to this highly anticipated competition, students from Enrichment Year and Senior 4 worked in the village Science Center building individual contraptions which would be use to house and protect a raw egg on the day of the competition. Teams of four students worked under the supervision of Miki Vizner, the Science Center coordinator and long-term volunteer from Boca Raton, Florida and Liquidnet High School science teacher, (last name) Wilberforce, to conceive of designs utilizing different recycled materials, such as boxes, peanut butter containers, oatmeal cans, banana leaves, cotton balls and paper that would provide maximum comfort and protection to the egg.
Finally March 12th, the day of the competition, arrived. Music pumped out of propped up speakers and the sounds intermingled with the excited voices of onlookers, as our young designers put on the finishing touches to their contraptions. Finally the teams made their way up, one at a time, to the top of the water tower. Once the egg drop-landing pad was in place and the contestants were ready the competition was underway and eggs began to float down from what seemed like the sky. The sight amused the audience and was good, educational entertainment, as the village received a firs hand lesson on collisions and acceleration due to gravity.
In the end, three out of eight Enrichment Year teams, and five out of the six Senior 4 teams dropped eggs from the water tower that successfully withstood the fall.According to our science center coordinator, Miki, this exciting competition is only the start of more exciting, hands-on science projects in which our students will be able to take, so stay tuned folks.
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Finding Our Names
House Naming Ceremony
On Friday, March 23rd, our Enrichment Year students took part in the 4th ever village wide house naming ceremony. Each family had the opportunity to stand before the village and announce the name for which their house and their family will henceforth be known.
The process of choosing a family name began a few weeks prior when our Enrichment Year students began researching different heroes in their lives. While the research process was time intensive, it served as an important bonding experience for the eight families. According to the cousin from Family 2, now Amelia Earhart family, Jennifer Bellisario, “the house naming [process] was a learning experience,” because it encouraged all the students to take a closer look at their core values and discover what it is the true worth of a hero. On Tuesday, March 6th the students then presented their research on different heroes to their families. The families then voted on which hero they felt was the most empowering, inspirational, and fitting for their family.
However, in the case of two families selecting the same names, a competition was set up in which the two families faced off in a battle to see who knew the most about their selected hero. The winner was able to claim hold of the name, and the losing family went back to the drawing board and selected another hero.
When all the dust had settled our Enrichment Year families stood before the village and were christened with the following names:
Family 1: Henry Dunant
Family 2: Amelia Earhart
Family 3: David Livingstone
Family 4: King Menelik II
Family 5: Marie Curie
Family 6: Sir Ronald Ross
Family 7: Steve Jobs
Family 8: Mother Teresa
However, it was not the families alone that received new names, but also the entire Enrichment Year, which was given the Kinyarwanda name, Indatwa, which means “ someone you are proud to present because of their good values.” -
Learning how to teach our children
Each student is unique, and each, therefore learns in a different manner from his or her peer. It takes dedicated and informed educators to discover how to best facilitate the academic growth of each of our students, particularly students with challenging backgrounds. As ASYV returns for its 2nd term our Formal and Informal education departments have set out to form a more tightly woven relationship with the mission of learning from one another how to best teach our kids. And so, this past Wednesday, April 25th, the Village’s weekly Learning Community session focused on how the entire village can work together to assist our children in their efforts to acquire comprehensive critical and creative thinking skills, so that they are not only able to excel on exams, but so they are well-equipped to establish successful lives for themselves once they graduate from ASYV.
The session, which was coordinated and led by the Deputy Principal of ASYV’s Liquidnet Family High School, Aloys Kagimbura, Pedagogical Trainer and international volunteer from Israel, Dr. Tamar Shak, and IT coordinator, Deo Kabirigi, was well-attended by family Mamas, counselors, cousins, health center staff, grade coordinators and members of the village management team. One had to only be in the meeting for a minute to sense the level of commitment and interest that exists within the village towards this effort. The room of attendees was eager to participate in each of the activities; took notes during the presentations; and lobbed insightful questions at the presenters. The session opened up with a presentation by Aloys and Deo regarding the performance of our students between 2009 and 2012. Aloys also showed the overall results of our students on their most recent term exam. He then discussed what school administration and teachers are setting out in these coming terms to do in order to facilitate greater academic success, and how informal education can assist with this effort. Tamar then led the group in two interactive exercises that not only got the room talking and laughing, but also helped everyone to have a deeper understanding about the learning process.
The first exercise entailed two groups of five volunteers walking across a rope, which was laid across the room. The volunteers were given specific instructions about the task they were being asked to complete. After several amusing attempts by volunteers to balance themselves while walking across the ropes backwards or with their eyes closed, it became clear that each person approached the task differently. The second exercise required each person to take a sheet of paper with several sentences written on the back. When Tamar gave the signal everyone was to turn over their paper and count how many “F”s were on the sheet within an allotted amount of time. This exercise was meant to simulate a standardized exam and show all the obstacles our students face when trying to complete and succeed at a task. It turned out that on the first round only 6 out of 30 were able to come up with the correct answer, or “pass the exam,” on the second round only 5 out of 30 were able to “pass the exam,” however in this second round a higher percentage came closer to getting the right answer. At the end of this exercise the room discussed the results, and concluded that: (1) the learning curve increases with each attempt made, or with practice. In the same way, our students begin to adjust and their performance often improves as they understand what is expected of them; (2) asking for help and working with others increases one’s results, (3) there are three common responses from students taking exams “freeze, fright, and flight,” (4) it takes students time and practice to adjust to the pressure of exam the time structures (5) students must be encouraged to question themselves and explore all options, because if you go in thinking you know the right answer you may overlook the actual answer, (6) it is important to correct impulsivity in students who speed through their work and do not take time to review their answers, (7) students need a certain level of confidence to know that they are capable at succeeding at a task in order to succeed, and (8) students learn from experience, good training and practice. The session closed out with everyone getting into small groups and discussing how we can implement what was learned during the presentation and exercises. While this Learning Community session was only one step in a long process, it is a step in the right direction. ASYV is home to students that have come from extremely poor and at-risk environments, in which education often came a far second to basic survival. This means that the ground that must be made up for many of our kids is great, requires that the entire community rally behind our students’ academic pursuits with full force. As our Pedagogical Advisor, Tamar stated, “this is a revolution,” as formal and informal education learn how to work together to teach our students.
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Amahoro Film Festival
It’s Friday evening, 5pm, and the Dining Hall is steadily filling up with students and staff. Within 15 minutes the room is packed from front to back with an audience patiently awaiting the arrival of the Amahoro Film Festival crew. Tonight will be a night of culture and remembrance as the village continues to commemorate the 1994 Genocide through the watching of three short films produced by Edward Bamporiki. Finally around 6pm the crew arrives and quickly sets up. The night’s MC’s, two ASYV students, take to the stage and welcome ASYV’s traditional dance troupe. As always, the troupe aptly sets the stage with a riveting performance that combines the rhythm of drums and melodic singing, with graceful, yet dynamic dancing. After the performance, Jean-Pierre, our Director of Informal Education, came on stage and stated (as translated to me), “On this day, many years ago, something happened that we will remember today.”
And, in a country searching for peace, Jean-Pierre posed this question to the audience, “where can we find peace?” One brave student raised his hand, came forward and answered that “peace can be found where there is unity with the people.” This answer spoke to the heart of the event, and what the Amahoro Film Festival is all about; finding peace by unifying previously opposed groups. A common theme that ran through each of the three films was reconciliation in order to provide for the next generation what this generation did not receive, peace.
The first film, a short documentary, was entitled, “Ndaga Ndaga,” which is translated as “Give to me and I will give to them.” The word Ndaga means inheritance, and thus speaks about one generation giving the next a fair inheritance of unity and peace. The second and third films both focused on the need for reconciliation and forgiveness within Rwandan society, as criminals and victims find themselves living once again as neighbors. It is not only the parents that feel the fear, pain and shame of what happened, but the children as well. The second and third film highlighted the importance of perpetrators acknowledging to their victims the wrong in what they did and seeking forgiveness.As the films play, and recount the horrors that took place, the familiar kissing of teeth, commonly used to express sadness, dissatisfaction or sympathy towards a bad situation or memory, became audible throughout the room. This sound was soon joined with a low murmuring, during particularly troubling scenes, such as during the large exodus of refugees across the Rwandan border, or when prisons full of genocide perpetrators were shown.
A feeling of stoic sadness was palpable, yet in the remembrance there was also a clear tone of hope. One could look out across the audience and see the faces of men and women; boys and girls, that have endured the unthinkable from both sides of the genocide and yet continued to live, and even excel. At this sight one begins to believe that perhaps the words spoken by the narrator in Ndaga Ndaga, “this young generation has the courage to build up what the old generation destroyed” are coming to pass.
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And they’re back!
In an instance the ear piercing screams of adolescent girls shattered the tranquil silence that had once pervaded the village during the last three weeks of the April vacation. They were back in full force! One only had to follow these screams of joy to find reunited friends embracing on the road or in front of their homes. The vacation was over and our kids are steadily pouring back into the village, eager to begin their second term of school.
When one thinks of returning to school, plus adolescents, you might not think the end product being happiness on the part of the adolescents, but for the kids at Agahozo-Shalom, that is exactly what you get. Our kids once again made the voyage from their respective parts of Rwanda, and as the bus that picked them up from Nunga pulled into the village and dropped them in front of the mango tree, one could clearly make out their smiles. 
One child even danced happily in his seat to the tune of a song playing over the radio before scrambling out of the bus, retrieving his luggage and hugging one of his fellow classmates. Many of our students are returning with a renewed desire to succeed after having spent three weeks coming to terms with what it is they are working towards: an education that will help them change the lives of their families and communities back home.
So watch out folks, the kids are back and more eager than ever to succeed.
Let the second term begin! -
Check out the latest happenings at ASYV’s Science and Learning Center!
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Senior 6 Kids
March 12, 2012
By: Anne Heyman, FounderThe three biggest worries of the kids who are in their final year at Agahozo-Shalom are: 1) how are they going to keep in touch with each other; 2) how can we make sure that the kids who follow them at Agahozo-Shalom know its history and its stories; 3) that we do not spend enough time with them teaching them about our philosophy, methodology and core values. Wow.
I went into a meeting of the Senior 6 class after having been bombarded with the constant refrain…. “but what are the kids going to do when they leave the Village”. I expected to be hit with all kinds of questions about the national examinations, as well as the newly introduced professional skills programs which seem to be getting off the ground nicely. One day soon you will be able to have tea and cake (well, sort of cakes) at the visitors center which will be managed and run by our hospitality program. If you are interested in funding a business in Rwanda, our young entrepreneurs have about 57 ideas for you! Those in our modern agriculture program are readying their plots for the planting season. And the ITC kids? They are learning eagerly as they wait for a delivery of OLPC laptops so they can become trainers and troubleshooters on those amazing little machines. I took a walk around the Village yesterday, which was a Sunday, and learned the following: the radio being built by the kids had just been tested successfully (they plan to broadcast to the whole village ultimately); there are kids working on producing extraordinarily beautiful songs, written by them, in both Kinyarwanda and English, in our recording studio; the computer labs, as usual, are standing room only and, because it is near exam time everywhere there is a quiet nook or cranny you see kids studying. The image that most stays with me is that of a kid sitting in the shade of a sapling tree at the top of the amphitheater, reading a book. No, I am not worried about the graduates of Agahozo-Shalom.
Later that evening I met with the Enrichment Year kids, those who have now been with us at Agahozo-Shalom for 2 ½ months. Let me reassure you, big brothers and big sisters, you are doing an incredible job as their role models. My Family Time with the new grade started with them singing to me (original songs); reading poetry that they had written; watching a sketch about the “intake” process for Agahozo-Shalom and how it affected them; presenting me with an incredible painting done by one of their budding artists….they really blew me away. And while many of them are struggling with English, anytime anyone addressed me…they did it in English! They asked some amazing questions, and shared some truly meaningful comments about what Agahozo-Shalom means to them. I cannot believe how far they have come in such a short time. Senior 6 should move forward happily knowing that they have created a deep and firm legacy and that they will be leaving their Village in good hands.
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International Women’s Day at ASYV
March 8, 2012
By: Anne Heyman, FounderI always try to “blog” at least once when I am in the Village, and today is certainly a great day to do so. International Women’s Day is celebrated big time in Rwanda, and probably nowhere with more enthusiasm than at Agahozo-Shalom. Our celebration started this afternoon with all 500 kids and some VIP guests as well as all our staff and volunteers and visiting student groups (go Yale) fitting into our enormous dining hall. Our traditional dance troupe did a “non-traditional” traditional dance telling the story of how women should and should not be treated. Speeches, poems, and sketches all extolled the virtues of women, particularly how important it is to see women as equals and to educate them and give them the same opportunities as men. As usual, I was brought to tears by the heartfelt songs directed my way; what Agahozo-Shalom means to these kids is hardly conceivable. And yes, as everyone kept repeating today, its founder is a woman!!! I am going to be very brave and attach a picture of me wearing my traditional Rwandan dress – a mshanana – that was given to me by the Moms in the Village. The crown was given to me and placed on my head as part of a wonderful dance and song by the Mamas of the Village. We were very privileged to have Mr. Damien Ngabonziza with us representing the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion. He is also the Chairman of the National Commission for Children, so it was very appropriate that he was with us on this special day. There is nothing better than hearing a bunch of teenage rappers extolling the virtue of being a woman. Sometimes it just blows me away how truly awesome this Village is.
International Women's Day at ASYV. (L) Student at ASYV, (R) Anne Heyman
