A Breath of Fresh Air

There is nothing like a trip to a farm to lift our spirits!  Last Friday we drove out to visit our friend Amy, the girl from Georgia who was on our flight to Kigali.  Amy works at the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) as the farm manager in a town called Ntunga (45-60 minutes outside of Kigali).  The name holds a beautiful meaning: "dry their tears" (Agahozo) and "live in peace" (Shalom).   This is a boarding school of sorts that targets orphaned children in Rwanda.  It is truly an inspiring place!  The founder Anne Heyman, a NYC resident, was moved by a Rwandan speaker talking about the affects of the genocide.  Her heart broke for the orphaned young people in Rwanda post the Genocide and for those who have lost their parents to the widespread assassin: HIV.  She compared the devastation to that of the Holocaust and was inspired by Israel’s action steps to move forward.  One of the ways Israel began rebuilding itself after such a tragedy was to develop youth villages with the goal of providing a community and education for orphans.  Anne felt moved to support the next generation in order to secure a brighter future for Rwanda in the same way.  The youth villages in Israel have been wildly successful in equipping the prosperity both intellectually and emotionally through the bonds of the community.  It is common for graduates to return to their village for employment or simply volunteer as a way to give back to their new found family.  Anne adopted the same model and is trying it out in Rwanda.  Check out a CBSNews article about this special place!

The Agahozo Shalom Youth Village hosts 250 students ranging in age from 14 years to 20 years old.  Each year, hundreds of applicants are recommended from all 30 districts in the country.  We met a variety of students coming from different economic backgrounds.  Some students are from the cities in Rwanda where there is more wealth while others are from the more rural parts having little to no money.  One of the best benefits of the youth village is that it is 100% free!  The students pay nothing to attend and are given housing, food, and a great education.  The director of the school is from Israel and lives on campus with his wife and two kids.  His wife is the doctor in residence and runs the medical facilities.  Both of his kids attend a private school in Kigali called The Greenhill Academy along with Paul Kagame’s kids.  They are a lovely family!    We encourage you to learn more about The Agahozo Shalom Youth Village at: http://www.agahozo-shalom.org/

When we drove up to the gate, we were taken aback by the beauty of the grounds and its prime location at the top of a hill.  The view is exquisite, spanning over neighboring valleys, lakes, and mountains.  Our efforts to capture such splendor failed miserably so you’ll have to close your eyes and picture it in your own mind.  The land is a beautiful mix of walking trails weaving in and out of modern buildings surrounded by flourishing farmland bursting with foliage.  Our lungs were soaking up the clean air like a dry sponge.  It was a refreshing change from the diesel exhaust that consumes the city air.

Our first point of business was to join Amy in the dining hall for a late lunch.  Most of the food prepared on campus comes directly from the produce grown on the farm.  Amy is working towards full sustainability where the profits from the farm will eventually cover the costs of running the village.  The reality is within reach given the resources available to them.  For instance, they are the only farm in the area that has an irrigation system in place to maintain production throughout the dry season of summer.  Last week Amy assisted in her first delivery of a baby calf.  Unfortunately one of the three calves did not make it but we were delighted to meet the other two babies that are getting stronger every day.  Right now they have five cows producing 22 liters of milk a day which will increase once the baby calves stop breast feeding.   In addition to cows, there are about 300 adolescent chickens that should begin laying eggs in about a month from now.  The goal is to have at least one egg a day for every person in the village.

After lunch, we had a chance to walk around the grounds to get the lay of the land.  Amy hasn’t measured the exact acreage of the farm but it is certainly in the hundreds.  When she first arrived, she felt under qualified for running a farm of this size.  Her experience has been in the context of camps or nature centers.  It can still be overwhelming for her at times, but she has done a great job embracing it with two hands.  We have no doubt that her passion will drive her forward to learn more while leaning into her role as the farm manager.  The farm is certainly in good hands!

The rest of our Friday afternoon was spent picking fresh passion fruit and mangoes for a tasty snack later in the evening.  Amy and Michelle went to the local market in Rubona to buy papaya, milk and eggs.  It was a fabulous 20 minute walk down a very typical African dirt road.  We quickly made friends with some kids walking home from school who enjoyed playing a game of running up behind us without us hearing them and then running away once we looked at them. The squeals made us smile and feel grateful for the energy of younger friends.   Rubona was a quaint town with one bar, a dozen shops and a small section for the open market.  It was a treat for Michelle to see where Amy enjoys shopping and meeting more local people.
Friday evening we participated in Shabbat at the house of one of Amy’s friends.  There was a small group of us (10-15 people) the majority being westerners who are volunteering at the village.  We enjoyed being part of the service and learning more about the Shabbat tradition.  We broke bread and said a few prayers together before hanging out and getting to know each other better.  There is a lot of symbolism that we were drawn to during the Shabbat.  There is something powerful about engaging in spiritual practices with friends.  It was an honor to be included!  Afterwards, we headed over to the big dining hall for the village-wide weekly meeting before dinner.  It is an hour long service that includes announcements from clubs and teachers, personal stories, and a message from Nir, the director.  We each had a student sitting next to us translating the messages.  Michelle’s translator was a 14 year old girl named Peace.  Her family is from Kigali but her parents were killed in the genocide so her older siblings are looking out for her now.  She was very kind and patient as Michelle tried out her limited Kinyarwanda skills.

After dinner, we called it a night by hanging out in Amy’s room.  Michelle and Amy tried to make cheese with the milk they bought at the market but unfortunately it turned out to be the wrong kind of milk.  We have quickly learned that they sell unpasteurized as well as pasteurized milk and we are still learning how to ask for the kind we want.  The fruit was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!  Seriously, to all the fruit lovers out there, nothing compares to vine or tree ripened fruit!!  Michelle was in heaven.  However, her bliss was short lived due to a bug she caught that night.  After a sleepless night, her sickness kept her glued to the bathroom for the following day.  It was wonderful to rest in the comforts of our own bed on Saturday afternoon.   Despite the unfortunate ending, we were grateful for the breath of fresh air and the refreshment to our souls.  God, thank you for friends, thank you for fresh fruit, thank you for breath taking views, thank you for clean air, thank you for land that nourishes our bodies and souls.

  Imana ibarinde kandi ibahe umugisha.