Hi everyone! Thanks for visiting my blog! A number of friends and family have asked me why I am in Rwanda. My gut reaction has always been somewhere in between "Why not?" and "I don't think I understand the question." Why am I here? Seriously? Why AREN'T YOU here? But on second thought, I suppose I understand the confusion. My journey to where I am now happened slowly, and it only makes intuitive sense to someone who experienced it step by step. So how did your typical finance and mathematics student end up deciding to spend a year in the Rwandan countryside? What will he even be doing there? To these questions, I devote my first blog post.
"A beginning is an artifice," Ian McEwan famously observed, "and what recommends one over another is how much sense it makes of what follows." With this notion in mind, there is always going to be a certain degree of arbitrariness in deciding when this part of my life began. Indeed, discounting earlier moments in my personal journey doesn't do justice to explaining such a life-altering decision, nor to understanding the holistic nature of the human condition in general.
That being said, every story needs to begin somewhere. The most tangible starting point, in my mind, is during the spring of my Sophomore Year at NYU, in which I had the privilege of participating in a service trip to Ukraine. A joint undertaking between the Bronfman Center and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the trip had the twin goal of learning about global Jewry and volunteering in service projects for the local Jewish community. Calling it a "service trip," though, feels kind of funny, as my companions and I would most likely agree that we gained much more than we believe we contributed. Heck, I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for that trip.
It would take volumes to adequately describe my full experience in Ukraine, so I will only mention a few thoughts. I had always had an interest in learning about diverse Jewish communities around the world, but actually experiencing one first-hand is something different altogether. For starters, there is an innate familiarity that is hard to pin down. No matter where I am, or how different or nonexistent the local beliefs/customs are, I seem to almost always feel at home. In comparing me to my twin brother, a friend once described us as "exactly the same, but completely different." That is how I experience a new Jewish community- "exactly the same, yet completely different." During my time in Ukraine, I was able to learn about its rich history and unique flavor, all while volunteering on meaningful projects such as assembling a playground, painting a house, and pretending like I knew how to use power tools.
Enough about that trip. Suffice it to say that I was deeply inspired by the communities I encountered, by my fellow participants, and by all that the JDC accomplishes. It was then that I learned of a year-long fellowship: The Global Jewish Service Corps. Each year, the JDC sends about 25 young professionals to volunteer all over the world (e.g. Argentina, China, Poland, Turkey, etc.) in a variety of different capacities. Imagine my excitement: I could spend an entire year working on valuable projects, in an exotic location, for an incredible organization!
Fast forward almost two years. Graduation is rapidly approaching and all anyone talks about is the "real world" and "real life." And believe you me, it did not sound enjoyable. It is tremendously important to "grow up" and "get a job" (two of my mom's favorite commands), but I had the rest of my life to do that. Personally seeing the JDC's amazing work, I knew that joining their fellowship was something that I had to do. Then, after a year, I would start my career.
During the interview process, something unexpected happened. The JDC suggested I take a look at their operations in Rwanda and consider spending the year there. Rwanda? Like Africa? Don't people kill each other there? I knew very little about the country, and my intention for the coming year was to help a struggling Jewish community. That is what I knew, and that is what I enjoyed. Nonetheless, mostly to entertain my curiosity, I began a series of interviews with the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV), the organization which the JDC assists in Rwanda. At the very least, I would learn a little more about a foreign country.
From my first interview, I was instantly enamored by ASYV. What exactly is the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village? I'm glad you asked! It is a residential community in rural Rwanda for 500 high-school aged vulnerable adolescents, many of whom were orphaned during and after the genocide in 1994. The mission of the village is to enable these kids to realize their maximum potential by providing them with a safe and secure living environment, health care, education and necessary life skills. By restoring the rhythm of life, the village helps those who have lived through great trauma become healthy, self-sufficient, and engaged in the rebuilding of their nation. In fact, Agahozo-Shalom was modeled after Yemin Orde, the famous Israeli Youth Village that Chaim Peri founded in the 1950's to deal with Israel's post-genocide orphan situation. Because of my experience studying the genocide of my own people (teaching at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, organizing Holocaust events and programs for the Bronfman Center, etc.) and some of my more general work with children (camp, Hebrew School, tutoring, etc.), the JDC thought I could be a good fit for ASYV.
As it turned out, much of my academic training fit in nicely with the village's needs. The administration at ASYV was looking for a volunteer with a business background to help with their day-to-day operations. For me, this was something I never imagined. I would actually be able to spend a year doing service work without having to delay my career path. Thus, a beautiful partnership was formed. During the day, my role at the village is threefold: 1) Working in the Operations and Logistics department, where I focus on using data-driven approaches to ensure that each and every department is running as smoothly and efficiently as possible, 2) Assisting the Finance department with Finance and Accounting procedures such as budgeting, reporting, and planning, and 3) Helping the Informal Education department with planning and reporting for special village-wide events.
I also have the privilege of coordinating and leading two extra-curricular activities for the kids when they return from school each afternoon. In the Carpentry Enrichment Program, the children learn basic wood-working skills and help build things for the village (benches, shoe racks, etc.). In the Debate Club, the kids discuss and debate pressing issues in contemporary society. Some of our best debaters even travel to compete against other schools throughout the country. These programs are designed to provide each child with relevant life skills, as well as instill self-confidence and critical thinking crucial for future leadership roles.
Additionally, each volunteer in the village serves as a "cousin" for a family of 16 new students. We act as mentors and role-models, helping to provide a nurturing and supportive home for some of the most inspiring children I have ever met. For those of you still reading this, there is a picture of my amazing family on Facebook. And once I figure out technology, I will add the picture (and hopefully many others) to this blog.
While much of the past year seems to have happened very quickly, I hope that you all now have a better understanding of why I am here and what I hope to accomplish. If you asked me a year ago, the last place I would expect to be now is Eastern Africa. I figured I'd be somewhere in Europe, helping to revitalize a struggling Jewish community. But providence had something different in store for me. And so it was that my work experience, academic interests, and urge to spend a year of service found themselves a home in the unlikeliest of places: rural Rwanda.
