Founders

Anne Heyman

A native of South Africa, Anne Heyman graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982 and from the George Washington School of Law in 1986. After two years in private practic,e Anne went to work for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where she worked until the advent of her third child.

Since leaving the District Attorney’s office Anne has been actively engaged in philanthropic work both in and outside of the United States. Her roles as former President and Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of Dorot reflect her ongoing commitment to the many needs of the homebound and homeless elderly. Her dedication to and work with the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York, Young Judaea, Tufts University Hillel and the Jewish Community Centers of America show how important Jewish youth and continuity are to her and her family’s foundation, of which she is the Director. Perhaps, however, it is with respect to the notion of tikkun olam, the Jewish obligation to repair the world, that Anne is most passionate. From active engagement in the battle to raise awareness and to stop the genocide in Darfur, to programs in Israel, the Former Soviet Union, Uganda and most recently Rwanda, where she has spear-headed the creation of a youth village based on an Israeli model, Anne’s commitment to improving the lives of others is unwavering.

Will Recant

Will serves as the senior staff person regarding all of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)’s  non-sectarian non-sectarian and disaster relief programs. In this capacity, he coordinates projects relating to the Rescue, Relief, and Renewal of Jewish communities worldwide and develops non-sectarian programs.

Will is also the Desk Director for Latin America and Europe Community Development at JDC headquarters in New York. While serving as the Washington representative for JDC, he helped secure JDC’s license to work in Cuba. He has visited Cuba over thirty times and has helped establish JDC’s programs of community development and Jewish renewal.

Will has worked with U.S. Government agencies and Congressional members to brief them on issues specific to rescue and relief, and with Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) in program coordination, partnership development and cooperation.

Will has acted as an intermediary to embassies and officials of countries in which JDC is active and has traveled overseas to coordinate and evaluate existing and potential JDC programs in Cuba, China, Somalia, Kenya, Kosovo, Ethiopia, Sudan, Israel, Turkey, the Gaza Strip, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Eastern Europe.

Before joining JDC, Will was the Executive Director of the American Association for Ethiopian Jews in Washington, DC, and in that capacity he briefed President George Bush on the condition of Ethiopian Jews in Israel and those remaining in Ethiopia; he worked closely with the Special Israeli Envoy as liaison to the U.S. Government in the planning and implementation of Operation Solomon; he established the Congressional Caucus for Ethiopian Jews; advised State Department officials and members of Congress on Ethiopian Jewry, and spoke to groups nationwide on the plight of the Ethiopian community.

Will has a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Political Science.

Sifa Nsengimana

Sifa Nsengimana was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where her family settled after fleeing the 1962 Tutsi Massacre in Rwanda. Following a childhood marked by poverty, separation, fear, discrimination, and tragedy, she lived an adolescence characterized by wars and more exile. In November of 1993, Mrs. Nsengimana immigrated to Canada, and began a new life, turning the page on the days where soldiers in Burundi had her dig holes to bury fallen rebels. Five months later, her entire extended family (more than 85 people) was killed in the 1994 Rwandan Tutsi genocide, which claimed nearly one million lives in 100 days.

Marked by the genocide and longing for peace and justice, Nsengimana became an advocate for the voiceless, working on behalf of women and children in conflict zones. Nsengimana was the director, and later co-chair, of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur before joining the Agahozo-Shalom project in 2006.

Within Agahozo-Shalom, Nsengimana’s ability to rally and galvanize people into action became central to turning 144 acres of wild land into a beautiful youth village in less than two years; and her optimistic approach helped build a team and programs which are today the pride of Rwanda and serving as a model for other organizations/countries. As the project’s advisor, her ongoing counsel and leadership ensure that the core values and mission of the Village are carried out in line with the spirit and realities of Rwanda, while building a world class institution.

Mrs. Nsengimana currently lives in Pretoria, South Africa, with her husband and two children.

Tina Wyatt

With more than 25 years of experience in the financial sector at financial and software firms, Tina longed to do something more with her life, with a particular interest in being involved in social action work.

In December of 2005, Tina’s friend Anne Heyman , shared her idea of a youth village she was thinking about building in Rwanda. The idea stuck with Tina and in February of 2006, she left her full-time job to work with Anne on her project. She saw this as the perfect opportunity to work alongside Anne in her endeavor and to bring new meaning to her life.

Tina has been with Anne every step of the way in Agahozo-Shalom's growth, bringing years of project management and organizational skills to the team, as well as the drive to help kids in Rwanda. She could not be more proud of the Village and the incredible work being done to make the difference in the lives of the kids at Agahozo-Shalom.

Gideon Herscher

Originally from Los Angeles, Gideon holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley. After graduating, he moved to Israel and spent several years first as a counselor and later as coordinator for Young Judaea's Year Course Program for American high-school graduates. It was nearly 10 years ago that Gideon Herscher first came into contact with Anne Heyman in the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) cafeteria in Israel. At that time, Gideon's primary responsibilities at the JDC included the development and implementation of programs and partnerships for vulnerable populations in Israel, with a specific focus on minimizing education gaps between Ethiopian-Israeli youngsters and their veteran classmates. Since then, Gideon has moved forward in JDC to pursue humanitarian work in Ethiopia where he oversaw a number of JDC's operations.

In 2009, Gideon served as JDC's point person for emergency activity across Israel's Southern Region. Working with government partners and program directors, Gideon continues to fulfill this role as trauma relief efforts are implemented for the most vulnerable citizens in the Gaza border region. In 2010, Gideon relocated to Haiti to serve as JDC's director of relief efforts and lead reconstruction efforts in Port au Prince and Haiti's countryside. Throughout Gideon's journey at JDC, he has proudly served as the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village's point person and coordinator in Israel. In this volunteer capacity, he has organized and hosted several delegations of key Rwandan partners in Israel and has worked with Israeli partners and organizations on the ground to organize and share Israel's youth village expertise and experience with Rwanda.