Agahozo Shalom

Agahozo Shalom, the name of the village, literally means “the place where tears are dried” and is the most amazing, heartfilling place. Anne Heyman, my idol, created this village out of scratch. She attended a meeting about the struggles of Rwanda and the biggest problems was the amount of orphans left in the country after the genocide. She dedicated the next five years to this youth village and has changed hundreds of kids lives and have personally impacted the entire country of Rwanda. The idea here is that they not only educate the kids and strengthen their identities so they can succeed, but also so they can become leaders in the country and give back the idea of tikun olam, or repairing the world, so that in the future, Rwanda will be more stable and successful.Today in English class, the teacher told them to go around and say their dream. Many of  hem said they wanted to finish their studies and become business men/women or doctors. One boy said he wanted to help orphan kids, one wanted to be the minister of the environment(whatever that means?), a boy named Janqua wanted to build a hospital for orphan kids, Fetum said she wanted to own a car, and Melinsa said she wanted to be a "touristy woman". These kids have been so inspired here and really see a bright, promising future. The village takes three or four orphans from every village in Rwanda who have had traumatic pasts and broken families. The family and community that is created here has given them strong bonds so that little by little, they can begin to heal. The gapes and decayed holes that have been embedded in these children from a young age are filled with love and a sense of belonging here. They support and help each other so that they are emotionally strong and confident enough to grow and move on from their past and succeed in the future. When talking to the kids, it’s so easy to forget what they have gone through because they seam like such normal kids laughing and smiling, playing sports and doing homework. I am so grateful that such a motivated, caring person like Anne created this magical place where tears are truly dried. The four years they spend here will shape them and the rest of their lives.