Back to School! An Update from Our Kids
First-year student Amata (right) during her first weeks at ASYV.
My First Weeks At ASYV
On September 6, we had the joy of welcoming our second-, third-, and fourth-year students back to the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) for the 2024–2025 school year. One week later, we welcomed our 128 Enrichment Year (EY) kids to the ASYV family. Our EY students arrived from all 30 districts of Rwanda, including 12 students who’d been living in refugee camps after being displaced from Burundi or the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Their older ASYV siblings and ASYV mamas greeted them as they entered our gates.
Our EY students have diverse backgrounds and life experiences, but each brings resilience, curiosity, and dreams of a thriving future. We sat down with EY student Amata Peace Rwibutso to hear about her first month at ASYV.
What were your first impressions when you walked into the Village?
I thought it was amazing because it’s not just a school, it’s also a home. Here, we get a family—an ASYV Mama, a cousin [an international fellow], a big sister or a big brother [an alumni]. My favorite times with my ASYV family have been when our Mama brings us sweets, and we have them as a family. Also, we dance together and give each other advice.
What was your favorite part about orientation and settling into the Village?
Some of the big sisters and big brothers took us to visit everything in the Village. We went to different family houses, we went to the farm. The extracurricular activities are great. I love going to the Science Center to do mechanics and engineering. I also love basketball. Unlike in my old school, we have a coach who supports us; who works hard to make us better basketball players.
What have you enjoyed most at school?
My favorite teacher is my English teacher, Hubert. First of all, you can’t doze in his class. When he sees you becoming sleepy, he says something that gets you to pay attention. Second of all, he loves us. In my former school, you were not allowed to just say hi to a teacher. Here, Hubert comes by and gives you a handshake or a hug and asks you “How was your night?” or “How is everything?”
I know it’s so far away, but do you know what you’d like to do once you graduate?
After ASYV, I want to join a university. I want to be a cardiologist, and I think the qualifications and skills I can get here will help me get that job.
Welcome to the Village Family
Watch our ASYV family welcome our first-year students, the Class of 2029, to the Village. The video was filmed and edited by fourth-year student Frank Musore, former president of the ASYV Media Club.
Seeing Far and Going Far
At ASYV, we encourage our kids to discover their passions, develop big dreams, and then gain the skills and knowledge needed to pursue those goals. Several of our students started the school year by taking a huge step towards achieving a dream, whether academic or extracurricular. We asked three—second-year student Ingabire Teta Charite and third-year students Mugeni Belyse and Mugisha Divin—to tell us about their accomplishments.
“At ASYV, I’ve learned about how to stay curious. If I find a question and it challenges me, I have to find a way I can solve it. Some people believe that astronomy and astrophysics are just for boys, but my ASYV teachers encouraged me. And I worked hard enough to compete in the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition (IAAC). I became a Rwandan finalist and won a bronze medal. I now want to go outside of the Village and encourage other girls to get involved in astronomy and astrophysics and to believe in themselves.” – Mugeni Belyse, ASYV Class of 2027
“This year, I competed on the Rwandan national team in the U16 AfroBasket 2025 Tournament in Kigali. I’ve learned in the Village that if you want something, you have to work hard. You have to practice. Some people may be stronger or better than me, but I put in more effort. My ASYV family has encouraged me all along the way. Before a game, my ASYV mama tells me, ‘Keep the love, my son.’ I look forward to continuing to work hard and applying my talents even after I graduate.” – MUGISHA Divin, ASYV Class of 2027
“ASYV welcomes visitors from so many different countries. Seeing this gave me an interest in cultural diversity. Some of the visitors can’t communicate in English, which makes it hard for us to speak to them. So I said, why don’t I start an initiative that encourages students to learn other languages? We will learn English, French, Spanish, Hebrew, and Swahili. The initiative, the Grace initiative, also provides an opportunity that will help us join the world of global communication after we graduate.” – Ingabire Teta Charite, ASYV Class of 2028
Reaching Refugee Scholars Nationwide
Our first group of IRIS scholars during a preparatory “bootcamp” in the VIllage.
In August 2025, we welcomed the inaugural group of Ikaze Refugee Impact Scholarship (IRIS) students to the Village to prepare for the start of the school year. “Being displaced does not diminish our potential,” said Raissa Mpawenayo, ASYV Class of 2023 and current student at the African Leadership University, during a speech welcoming the IRIS scholars to the Village. “Education is the pen that writes a new story."
Currently, over 50,000 school-aged refugees—and rising—live in Rwanda. However, too often refugee students face barriers to education and academic success, despite research showing that they can achieve just as much as their peers if given the right support. This year, we partnered with the Rwandan education organization Isomo and the Shapiro Foundation to provide that support through IRIS. IRIS identifies high-achieving refugee students and prepares them for success in Rwanda’s top secondary schools. “Rwanda believes that being a refugee should not condemn one to a life of limitation,” says Chaste Niwe, managing director of Isomo. “We will prepare students to achieve beyond their dreams.”
The 50 2025 scholars were selected from a competitive cohort of over 1,500 students living in all five of Rwanda's refugee camps. During the preparatory "bootcamp” at ASYV, the scholars learned basic English and computer skills, received psychosocial support and career guidance, and bonded with one another.
Throughout the school year, IRIS will provide scholarships and holistic support for each student based on their individual academic, health, and psychosocial needs. The IRIS team will also support participating schools in best meeting the needs of these students through training in trauma-informed care and other skills. Next year, IRIS will enroll between 100 and 150 new students, and we plan to continue growing the program from there. We look forward to watching our IRIS scholars learn and thrive.