Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village

Mrs. Safra and the Edmond J. Safra Foundation have been long-time, leading supporters of the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV), a residential high school that provides education, confidence, and hope to orphaned children in Rwanda. Originally welcoming mainly orphans of the 1994 genocide, the Village now welcomes children who have lost their parents through other tragedies, such as AIDS, as well as children who are not orphans but nevertheless have faced extremely traumatic personal circumstances.

Currently home to 526 children aged 14-21 from all of Rwanda’s 30 geographical districts and 150 staff members (many who lost family members in the genocide), ASYV is composed of a secondary school, 32 family homes (student dormitories), the Edmond J. Safra Community Center, a clinic, organic farm, library, athletic fields, the Lily Safra Amphitheater, art and science centers, and other facilities for specialized extracurricular activities and student-run clubs.

The Village continues to achieve remarkable successes, particularly for students coming from backgrounds of extreme poverty, little or no previous formal education, and total social exclusion: 98-99% of graduating classes regularly pass the National Secondary School Exam, which plays a decisive role in qualifying for admission to the Rwandan university system.