Click here to apply
Details about the trip:
- Dates: Last two weeks of May - (Specific dates TBD)
- Where - Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, Rwanda
- Cost - $950 (Includes airfare from NY, room and board in youth village, travel within Rwanda).
- Limited need-based scholarships will be available.
- Deadline to Apply - October 18, 2011
We're looking for 14 outstanding Penn students from different religious and ethnic backgrounds to participate in a spring semester seminar and travel to Rwanda for 10 days.
The mission of the program is to create a greater sense of community and understanding between students from different religious and ethnic groups in order to foster future leaders who will help build a more just, tolerant, and peaceful society.
The cornerstone of this program will be a 10-day service trip to Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) in Rwanda to work with children who were orphaned during the Rwandan genocide. The Penn Hillel trip is a partnership between Penn Hillel, the ASYV, The Heyman-Merrin Family Foundation, and Hillel International. The goal of the trip is to create a forum for interfaith and inter-ethnic service learning that will bring Penn students together to explore the dynamics of cultural and ethnic violence and strategies for their elimination.
The trip would include the following:
- Service work with children living in the youth village
- Greta Deerson (Hillel Repair the World Coordinator) and Penn Student leaders in partnership with the educators at the ASYV will develop an intense learning curriculum that will include structured interfaith/inter-ethnic dialogue and reflective conversations
- ASYV educators and tour guides would take students to key areas of Rwanda to learn about the history and culture of the country as well as the genocide.
Requirements for Fellows:
- The group of 14 students, as Ask Big Questions Fellows will meet weekly throughout the Spring 2011 semester to get to know each other, to learn about Rwanda, to engage in interfaith and inter-ethnic dialogue, and to plan events that will engage other campus communities in the work that they are doing.
- The group of 14 Fellows will work together to raise additional money to support their service project in the Youth Village.
- If you have any questions, please contact Greta
More Info about the Youth Village and the trip:
Read more about the Youth Village - www.asyv.org/blog/
See pictures and videos of the Village -
http://agahozo-shalom.org/Photos/photos.html
http://agahozo-shalom.org/videos.html
See a Sample Itinerary -Click here
See a video made by last year's trip participants during the trip- Click here
See an article from the Penn Gazette about last year's trip - Click here
Click here to apply
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village?
The Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) aims to create a safe and structured residential community for orphaned children in Rwanda. The village will be a place of hope, where traumatized youth can “dry their tears” (Agahozo) and “live in peace” (Shalom).
Within this caring environment, the rhythm of life will be restored, so that youth who have been through great trauma will find a home and a community, as well as a place to learn and become leaders for tomorrow. The youth who come to live and learn in the ASYV will grow into healthy adults who are not only able to care for themselves and their families, but who are also committed to making their community, their country, and indeed the world a better place.
A unique and ambitious project, the ASYV will serve as a model for caring for the disrupted lives of youth across Rwanda, Africa, and beyond, to wherever there are traumatized youth who need a place to call home.
What about Safety and Security in Rwanda?
Rwanda is typically a crime free, safe country. Incidents are rare and generally occur during the nighttime hours. All travelers abroad should err on the side of caution, be aware of their surroundings and be alert to suspicious packages in public places, avoid crowds, political demonstrations and other manifestations of civil unrest.
Agahazo-Shalom Youth Village is committed to creating a safe and secure environment for its students, staff, visitors and volunteers. We constantly stay abreast of the security situation in Rwanda and check in daily with any changing recommendations by the U.S. State Department. To check these updates, you may use the Government website; http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1007.html.
- The New York office of Agahozo-Shalom receives daily updates from the village staff, the embassy and the state department.
- The village itself is located in a rural location, far from threat of attack. It is surrounded by a fence and has only one guarded gate for entry and exit. All visitors are checked by security and must sign in at the village office. There are 4 security guards on staff at all times. These guards monitor the home areas at night and walk the perimeter of the village on regular intervals. There have been no incidents on village grounds since the construction of the fence, and before that there was only one isolated incident of petty theft.
- We do not take our volunteers to places after dark that have been targeted by attacks or that have similarities with the targeted areas so far. (e.g. bus terminals, markets, memorials, and other crowd gathering places.)
- Attacks often escalate during the month of April which is dedicated in Rwanda to genocide commemoration. We not send volunteers to the village at this time.
- Volunteers are only transported in vehicles staffed and guarded by ASYV drivers. Volunteers will not be on public transportation, nor will they be in public places on their own or after dark. If the situation were to escalate, we would make appropriate changes to the trip itinerary for the safety of all volunteers.
U.S. Embassy Kigali
2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie
Kigali, Rwanda Tel: [250] (252) 596-400; FAX: [250] (252) 596-591
Consular Section e-Mail: consularkigali@state.gov.
American Citizen Services Hours: Tuesdays 9:00 - 17:00 & Fridays 9:00 - 12:00
The Embassy is closed on U.S. and Rwandan holidays.
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