Rwanda Day 2

Wow, the Agahazo-Shalom Youth Village is the most communal place I have ever experienced.

Our first full day in Rwanda started off at six a.m., with a possible fever, a crummy stomach, and a ten-minute walk in the cold to cafeteria. Breakfast was porridge and a piece of bread. I sat with some young members of the village, and didn’t really say much, considering how early it was. Next we went on a tour of the village given by one of the nine year long volunteers Barett. Barett is from Ohio. She left her job, put her car in storage, and came to Agahozo.

 There are so many aspects to the village. Firstly, it was founded by Anne Hyman, who heard a talk about Rwanda at Tufts University, and realized that the biggest problem in the Rwanda was and is the thousands of orphans. She went to Israel to study the Yemin Orde Youth village, came to Rwanda to find a plot of land, and found a beautiful spot in the rural eastern providence. Some of the highlights on the tour were the farm, the awesome bungalows where the kids live, the hardworking friendly kitchen staff cutting thousands of potatoes, and the Liquidnet family school, which is at the highest point of the village. Liquidnet is Anne Hyman’s husband’s company, which is very philanthropicall. The views  from the village are incredible.

 It felt like it was late in the afternoon, but at only nine o’clock we had done so much already. After the tour we met with a very cool guy who was director of philosophy at the village. He was very kindhearted, and explained to us the background and qualifications to become a student at Agahazo. The selection process is complicated, but essentially the students are the most vulnerable kids in Rwanda, meaning they are orphaned, may come from abusive homes, or have received little education. You would think these kids are not motivated and are intellectually incompetent based on their past. Wrong! The students are extremely friendly, enthusiastic, eager to learn, and are very smart. Of course they have serious issues and memories to deal with, but their spirit is still strong. Their days start at 6am and don’t end till ten. There school is also very demanding.

 After a lunch of rice, potatoes, and a special treat of green beans, we headed to our extra programs (EPS). I chose guitar, because I heard there was no teacher. I walked in to the guitar room to find about fourteen kids playing seven out of tune guitars. One student named Iranahoo was teaching everyone. We went over some basic chords, but there weren’t enough guitars for everyone. I helped out where I could. At the end I thought I would tell them about my passion for music, and give them a demo of some music they maybe hadn’t heard. I encouraged then to express themselves through music, and explained to them what blues music is. They loved it. After class Iranhoo stayed after, and I taught him how to solo and improvise. In the heat of his first jam session ever, he grinned widely. Making someone smile that has had a challenging life is a special feeling. I am excited about teaching guitar, but know it will be very challenging. I feel the most needed, which makes this trip worth it.

 The overall atmosphere of the village is very communal and friendly. There about 650 people working, volunteering, or studying at the village at once, yet everyone greets each other with “Mooraho”, meaning good day. The kids are very tight-knit with each other, and behave exceptionally well. For example, in the four years of ASYV’s existence, not one thing has been stolen. Hopefully in the next couple days I will make some strong connections with people, start feeling better, and maybe even go to the bathroom. After all this is Africa.

Some kids walking up to the school.

The heart of the village