Being Jewish with Jonah Platt Jewish Values in Action, Helping Rwandan Genocide Orphans with JC Nkulikiyimfura
Nov 20, 2025
Jean-Claude Nkulikiyimfura, the Executive Director of Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda, shares his inspiring journey from refugee to leader. He highlights how Jewish principles like Tikkun Olam shape ASYV's holistic education model for genocide orphans. The conversation dives into the impactful Tulane study showing impressive student outcomes, the empowerment of young women through the Inheritance Theater Project, and the vital ‘Anything is Possible’ campaign, which aims to sustain ASYV's mission in rebuilding Rwanda.
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Holistic Healing Through Jewish Values
- Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village uses Jewish values like Tikkun Olam and Tikkun HaLev to build a family-like healing environment.
- The model pairs surrogate mothers, counselors, and hands-on programs to restore trust and life skills for orphans.
Measured Outcomes Confirm The Model
- The Tulane study showed ASYV graduates earn higher incomes and have much higher employment rates than a control group.
- Graduates also demonstrate stronger psychosocial outcomes and readiness for leadership and jobs.
Scale By Training, Not Just Replication
- Share proven practices by training others rather than duplicating institutions wholesale.
- ASYV trained teachers in 170+ schools and plans a decade-long rollout funded by Mastercard Foundation.