Service

Today was Umagana a day of service! Somany people did it in the village and        Some did it outside the village, but the    village was hopping this morning! We      started the day with Mucaka, which is     basically when all the grades go for a run around the village at 6 in the am. Then   we have breakfast and then farm             activities and Umaganda! People were    out cleaning the dining hall and sweeping the streets, cutting the grass, mopping    floors, cleaning the animal stalls ,             preparing food and of course  doing         laundry! I had to snap peas! 

Tomorrow is a big alumni visit day and     everyone is excited to see their family     members. 

We will be having a more somber day as we head out in the am to visit the           Genocide museum and memorial sites.

The second half of our day today was     very relaxing. We walked around and       visited students doing different activities, lots of music, and creative projects. The kids got dancing lessons, they were          thrilled and many got a lot done in their    journals. We topped our night off with a   Visit to a local establishment and  got eveveryone soda and French fries! A treat after days of rice and beans. 

What an incredible peaceful day! 

Teaching & Learning

Today we started out our day teaching 

English Laguage acquisition skills with 

students here at ASYV. We did fun 

Activities like acting out skits without       talking, singing and an obstacle course.

What a fun time bonding with the             students and working with the students   on their English skills, they are  so           appreciative. 
After that we went for a walk into the        town of Rubona and went to a market     place. The town is very eye opening.       There were many interesting sights. We  saw many people transporting market      items on bicycles, motorbikes and even  more on their heads. Our students bought fabric and had         shorts, dresses and skirts made and it   was a great experience. We then ate at a local place, bruschette (goat), veggie      samosas, local delicacy’s. We got caught in our second rain storm    (even though Mindy said it never rains in Rwanda in June) on our way home.  Then we went to village time... where we Were treated to final science project        presentations and photography               competition awards. We were about to   be treated to a traditional dance              performance when the skies opened up  again. Fortunately, they relocated the dance to a building close by and we were able to   see it. The dancers are leaving tomorrow for a regional competition. It was very cool! 
What another great day! 

Family

As I reflect on my day today I keep           coming back to the realization that 25     years ago this country was dealing with   the harsh reality of a Genocide. So, I sit  and  think, much like Japan did after              Hiroshima they chose reconciliation and  Peace. The message here is through       actions and not so much words. The pastis not spoken of too much here. Instead  they move forward and they hope others will not have to endure what they have. 

A full generation of kids lost their families and a country almost lost its way. The     youth needed special attention if the       country was going to move forward. An   Investment was made in the youth. 

All the families at the village follow similar guidelines With similar attributes trust,     respect, reliable, love, responsibility and  teamwork.

You can’t help but think of all the differentfamilies that you belong to and how         those same attributes are present in yourfamilies and when they are not it shows. The relationships are strained. Think        about your immediate family, work family, extended family, close friends that are      like family. Who do you go to when you  have a problem?

If Rwanda can heal as a nation by            relying on the family structure, that           speaks volumes to the power of the         family. 

Embrace your family! 

Meet & Greet and getting the lay of the land

Today we started our day with a lovely 

breakfast and then met up with Seth for atour of the village. We learned about the mission of the village.

Agahozo meaning a place where tears    are dried

Shalom meaning peace

The village was built to fill a desperate 

need after the Rwandan Genocide.

So many kids were left without parents.

The village was modeled after a village in 

Israel and has four guiding principals

Family

Formal education

Informal education

Physical and emotional health

After our tour we went out of the village  and traveled to the solar field, where we 

saw all the solar panels that provide         energy to the school and the town.

Then we went to the school and saw kidsin classes and saw the dining hall and 

the kitchen.... amazing they feed over     500 kids at once. 

Our travels took us to the farm where we saw the chickens, cows and goats. The 

Village grows 60-70 % of its food and is        predominantly vegetarian.

After the farm we were scheduled to go 

to lunch, but I had to sit out that and the sports activities because I was nauseous

A little medication, a nap and some sprite   and I was normal again.

We meet our family after dinner tonight.  The families are 20-24 young adults that  live with a momma and they 

Work together, live together and provide  the support of a family.

We all had a great time! 

My family had a very intellectual              conversation regarding gender inequality.

Other groups had a variety of topics like Q & A , religion and taboo topics. 

Really a great experience, it was really a nice way to bond. 

After family time we came home and hadour own family time, laughing, dancing   and debriefing our day! 

Woke up in Africa this morning!

Today we have a full day of excursions   planned. We will be touring the village.

Meeting kids, and doing service work.

Arrival

We have all arrived in Rwanda safe and   Tired! Everything went well in the airport and we got all of our bags. 

We were met by Seth and Elise who will

Be our guides. 

We are now traveling by bus an hour Eastof Kilgali to the village.

Upon arrival at ASYV we met Eugene, a graduate whom will also be working with 

us. 

We have settled into guest house 3 and we had snacks before heading off to set up our rooms and get some shut eye.

Busy day tomorrow 7:30am breakfast. 

Going to meet my husband

As we were hanging out in the 

Amsterdam airport we became 

acquainted with a  young lady from 

Minnesota who was on her way to 

Uganda to meet her husband. She 

explained to us that it was all done over  the phone between families. She said he sounded very nice on the phone and she hoped that he was a nice guy. Her name 

is Fatama and she has two teenage 

children that she left back in the  states, a 16 year old boy and a 14 year old girl. Both were very sad to see her leave. But she has her return flight home. 

She will be staying in Uganda 42 days.

First leg accomplished

So, we have arrived in Amsterdam and await our flight to Rwanda. We are tired, but excited! 

Logan

We have checked in all our bags and      gone through security....  now we wait! 

Count down

We are a day away from departure.     Boarding a plane tomorrow for my      Rwandan adventure. We have packed 12 bags of donations that we will be    bringing to ASYV. 

Our schedule is packed with     many fun and exciting activities. 

Rwandan Genocide Art Exhibit

In May, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to New York with some of the students whom I will be traveling to Rwanda with this summer. We went to an art gallery and met with artists whom are bringing an awareness to the Rwandan Genocide's 25th anniversary. Mikey Walker and Mindy Sherman connected us with artist Idi Basengo whom they had met in Rwanda in their past travels to Rwanda leading student groups.

Kerry Jon Walker Fund

It is a great pleasure to be working with the Kerry Jon Walker Fund, and taking part in their Global Connections program which is a collaborative, youth-service program, providing economically disadvantaged teens from Boston Public Schools with the opportunity to travel abroad to connect with, learn from, and share with orphaned teens living at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) in Rwanda.
This annual program offers high school seniors with a unique opportunity for personal and practical growth. As a history teacher, I hope to bring alive to students the Rwandan story, so that students can learn about the Genocide, and how Rwandans have forged ahead and found ways to heal their country. I will be working with the students as we travel to memorial sites and try to grasp the significance of this atrocity and to help them form an understanding of their role in the world. Going to where history took place is a very valuable tool for students to realize that historical events had an effect on regular people and that being an aware, mindful, and  active citizen is a responsibility we all must share.

This year we are traveling with five students, two alumni, who are enrolled in college, two 2019 graduates and one 2019 graduate from Latin Academy, all of whom will be attending college in the fall. It is my hope through this opportunity to help guide these young people into opportunities that are life changing, and to become change makers. I also look to learn and experience all that I can so that I can bring back stories and information to the hundreds of students I have that will not get to experience this trip.

Snowden International School

Boston Massachusetts