The Agahozo Shalom Youth Village

Our way to do more

To help the Liquidnet family identify ways to play a direct role in the establishment and ultimate success of the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) in Rwanda.

Background:
Rwanda experienced a horrific genocide in 1994. A consequence of this genocide was vast numbers of orphans left to fend for themselves.

The goal of ASYV is to set up a school and village where some of these orphans can be educated and have a place to call home.

The ASYV model is based on the Yemin-Orde philosophy. Yemin-Orde was developed in Israel as a self-sufficient school and village for displaced survivors of wars.

Liquidnet is a financial services company based in New York City. The Liquidnet family is a group of volunteers made up of some Liquidnet employees and friends and family of Liquidnet employees. One of the primary roles of the Liquidnet family is to assist in the establishment and ultimate success of ASYV. To help catalyze this process, the Liquidnet Family tapped into Ideas To Go.

Process:
This all-volunteer project started in 2007 with a pre-project homework assignment for the Liquidnet family to help stimulate their thinking about how to build a safe environment for the over one million abandoned children living in Rwanda. This initial stimulus jumpstarted a one-day ideation session that resulted in hundreds of broad wishes, insights and tactical ideas. The facilitators then led the Core Team through an evaluation and concept development process to identify the most breakthrough, action-oriented ideas.

Results:
As a result of this project, the Liquidnet family created its own speaker bureau - this includes members speaking to groups (at churches, schools, functions, etc) about ASYV and raising awareness and funds for the cause. The Liquidnet family also set up a rock concert, "Wall Street Rocks for Rwanda," in support of ASYV. The 2008 USA Cup (one of the world's largest soccer tournaments) also had an onsite "hut" where players could learn about ASYV and donate clothing and shoes for the orphans.

and More:
The Agahozo Shalom Youth Village opened on December 17, 2008. For more information about the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village and how you can get involved, please go to the ASYV website or download their PDF brochure.