Jean d’Amour Biziyaremye

I am 16 years old. I live in Kimisagara in Kigali. I live with my brothers and sisters, but I do not live with my father because he has a drinking problem. My mother died in 2000 when I was five years old. No one was at home to help me or pay for me, so I left to go live on the streets. I slept under the bridge at night. I would survive by taking a tree and transforming it into charcoal. Then, I would sell the charcoal and use that money to buy food.

If we were sick, we could not go to the hospital because we did not have money. Sometimes the police would come and take us to the prison. We would be beaten. We didn’t have clothes or water to wash. Some kids would just die on the street because they had no money or anyone to help them. I stayed with two or three friends and we would help each other find food to eat. If one of us had some food, we would share it with the others.

Since 2009, I have received help from FIDESCO. I was reintegrated with my family in 2010. My sister is a house girl (domestic servant) and my brother found someone to help pay his school fees. For me, I want to finish my education. Now I am in the first year of secondary school, Senior One. I would like to be an artist when I grow up and develop my talent to play guitar. I started to play guitar at FIDESCO and I want to continue, but I do not have money to produce songs right now.

In the future, I want to become a great man who helps his family and brings his family out of poverty. I would also like to go to the USA and see the difference between Rwanda and the United States.