Agahozo-Shalom: Building a sense of home and a brighter future for Rwanda’s orphans

Perched atop lush green hills, the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village which opened its doors in 2006 is now home to over 500 teenage orphans.Founded by Anne Heyman, a South-African born New Yorker who recognised the similarities between the high influxes of orphans in Rwanda and the challenges that faced the Jews after the Holocaust, the Village was built to model the Yemin Orde Youth Village in northern Israel. Today, Agahozo-Shalom helps orphans from each of the 30 districts in Rwanda build a sense of home and prepare for a brighter future with a secondary school education and therapeutic and creative outlets for moving forward.Come December, the Village will celebrate the graduation of its first class of students and in a place where the phrase, “If you see far you will go far,” is continuously repeated. An approximate 70 per cent or more hope to matriculate to institutions of higher education.