JDC
Israel, the Jewish people and Tikkun Olam (the Jewish value
of committing to repair the world). Anne worked as a lawyer
and assistant district attorney in New York City but eventually
decided to dedicate much of her life to philanthropy.
Anne and Seth’s support of Tufts University’s Hillel House
and the Moral Voices program led to a dinner engagement
with a Rwandan genocide survivor, who gave a talk to
students during Genocide Awareness Week. When asked
what he believed the greatest challenge facing Rwanda to
be, the speaker described the sizeable orphan community
living in Rwanda nearly a decade after genocide with no real
system to address the ‘problem’ (Rwanda had the highest
number of orphans per capita in the world). Anne grew up
believing wholeheartedly that when Jews are approached
by others to assist them, we have to help and should never
stand aside when we are able to do good for others and the
world. Furthermore, she could not avoid the connectedness
she felt as a result of our common history of persecution and
she knew that she had to do something. Anne suggested the
notion of building youth villages in Rwanda to address the
orphan population, much like Israel did to address the influx
of orphans following the Holocaust.
Over the next year, Anne connected with many across
Rwanda, Israel and the USA, exploring how this challenge
could be overcome. One of these partners was Sifa
Nsengimana z”l, a Rwandan activist living in the US. In
time, Sifa would play a vital role in helping Anne establish
the Village, and ensuring that the values of the Village
would be aligned to Rwandan culture.
In 2006, Anne met with Dr Will Recant from JDC, the
largest Jewish humanitarian aid organisation in the world.
JDC works in more than 70 countries and has been assisting
Jewish communities confronting crises and battling extreme
situations for more than 100 years. JDC acts as the lifeline
for many Jews around the world through its life-changing
and sustainable programmes tailor made for those
communities. From its vast experience working with global
Jewish communities, JDC’s disaster response and community
development programme aims to use its skills and resources
to uplift the lives of those in the direst of circumstances. In
this light, JDC agreed to partner with Anne by housing and
logistically supporting the ASYV project until it was able to
fully function as its own entity.
22
Village is fully scaled, housing approximately 500 high
school students across four grades, for the duration of
four years. During their transformative time at the ASYV,
vulnerable and self-conscious students are provided with a
safe and secure living environment, health care, education,
and necessary life skills. Education and service are used to
model and create socially responsible citizens in Rwanda
and around the world.
In September 2014, I traveled to the ASYV along with 16
other young Jewish professionals on a week-long trip through
JDC Entwine, JDC’s initiative for young Jewish leaders,
influencers, and advocates who want to make an impact on
global Jewish needs and international humanitarian
challenges. I came to learn more about Rwanda’s history and its
reality today, as well as to spend a week living in the Village.
Despite the Rwandan people’s struggle to live a ‘normal’ life
after all they have been through, the pockets of hope that
I encountered uplifted me. This was particularly evident
at the ASYV and I returned to South Africa inspired by
the power of the human spirit, the potential we have to
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