Rwanda

Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (2006-present)

One of the most devastating aftermaths of the 1994 Rwandan genocide was the approximately 1,200,000 childrenóalmost 15% of the Rwandan populationówho have been forever robbed of their parents, communities, homes, and hope for a viable future for their country.

The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) seeks to provide a comprehensive and targeted response to this problem, through the establishment of a multi-faceted youth village, envisioned and built in partnership with American, Israeli, and Rwandan communities. The basis for the model is the concept of the Village as home, providing children with a holistic and protective environment, thus helping them to overcome trauma and abandonment. ASYV will provide a safe home where unconditional support allows children to thrive, a high school which enables them to shape their future, and a medical clinic to ensure their health and well-being, as well as that of the surrounding communities. The village will be staffed, populated, and eventually supported by Rwandans.

The ASYV Project is a partnership between Yemin Orde (YO), a special project of the Israeli Children's Village; the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; and a Rwandan NGO, which is being created to run the Village. A team from Yemin Orde, largely made up of Ethiopian-Israelis who are YO graduates themselves, will train their Rwandan counterparts in the successful establishment of a culturally sensitive model youth village, reflective of the Rwandan reality and context. The village will be staffed, populated, and eventually supported by Rwandans.

Learn more about the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village.
Read about the project's recognition from the Clinton Global Initiative.
Visit ASYV's official website.