Gabriel and fellow student Chelsea Majoros then stayed for two weeks after the summer program ended to work on a video project at the Gisimba Orphanage. “We became really good friends with two of the boys at the orphanage, one of them my age 17, and the other one was 8, both of whom are deaf. We learned Rwandan sign language,” Gabriel said.
Chelsea and Gabriel became motivated to found Hands of Rwanda, an organization that supports deaf youth in Rwanda through education. Since their trip, they have been raising funds, developing a Facebook page, constructing a website (still in process), and working on achieving non-profit status. As a long-term goal, Hands of Rwanda wishes to open the first clinic for the deaf in Rwanda.
As part of the United Nations Day of Peace 2012, Gabriel received a Peace Activism Award on Sept. 21 from ATOP Meaningful World, a non-profit organization that represents the activities of the Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention. The award honors young people who supportpeace in local communities and act as role models for their fellow citizens. Gabriel was nominated by Dr. Hagitte Gal-Ed, the education director at Temple Beth-El in Poughkeepsie, which he attends. “I wasn’t expecting it,” Gabriel said. “I really appreciate it.”
“I have had a lot of great opportunities in my life to see a lot of different things. It’s an important part of who I am,” Gabriel added. “To realize the world outside of Rhinebeck makes me appreciate Rhinebeck even more.”
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