Celebrating the ASYV Class of 2026 and Our Alumni

Don’t miss this video featuring highlights from graduation day.

On May 15, the 128 members of our Ishami Grade, the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) Class of 2026, graduated. It was a day of joy, love, and dancing. “Each of us came with a story that shows us how far we have come,” said Ineza Umuhoza Emeline, the grade valedictorian, after sharing how her father passed shortly before her mother fell into a coma. “We leave carrying hope, purpose, and service into the world. Futures that once seemed impossible are now within our reach.” 

Anne Heyman always said, “One day, these kids will cure cancer. They will lead industries.” That day is now. Today, ASYV's over 1,700 alumni are building Rwanda's future—leading the sustainable agriculture industry, like Hussein Kabera; teaching the next generation, like Mwano Kirezi Tanita; developing apps that improve lives, like Umutoni Christella.

We built ASYV together, as a community—and as these alumni's stories show, what we built has changed lives.  

“Before coming to ASYV, I had so many dreams in my mind, but thought there was no chance that I could ever accomplish them,” says Umutoni Christella, ASYV Class of 2026. “In my first year in the Village, I learned how algorithms work, and then made a blueprint for an AI that detects fire outbreaks. Now I know, if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it.”

This fall, Christella will attend Minerva University in San Francisco. She plans to study computer science and AI.

“ASYV helped me realize that I can use the knowledge and skills I gained there to make a meaningful contribution to society,” says Hussein Kabera, ASYV Class of 2018. "I decided I wanted to be part of the solution that ensures our farmers' hard work does not go to waste."

Today, Hussein works to make nutritious food more affordable and accessible, especially in Rwanda’s rural areas. 

"Being raised in a loving, caring learning ecosystem like ASYV transformed how I see my value in the world," says Tanita Kirezi Mvano, ASYV Class of 2019. "It deepened my belief in the power of education to form grounded, purposeful individuals who care for others."

Today, Tanita works to ensure young people across Rwanda can access higher education.