In Emmy’s words…
“I am the second oldest child in my family. I am now 22 years old, but I still have not finished high school. I live in Rugerero, Gisenyi in Rwanda.
Boarding school would help me study much better because I wouldn’t have to worry about all the other problems of my family. When I grow up, I will support my family. Thank you so much.”
The Story of Emmy……
I was born in the Musanze district of the Northern Province in Rwanda. I am 14 years old and I went onto the streets when I was 10 years old. I have never seen or known my father. My mother was chased out by her family when she had me as a child because my father was not present. Her family thought the boy was a bastard. My mother tried to go to the family of my father, but they also chased her away. Nonetheless, I was left there with my father’s family.
Some years ago, my mother got married to another man.…
My name is Bigirimana Bilar and I am 11 years old. My father lives in Burundi. Before I came to Rwanda, I was a street kid in Burundi. In Burundi, two things happened to me that I’ve always worried about since that time. First, I was captured on the street along with some killers by policemen. They took me to prison, and had to share the same cell with them. I didn’t sleep the whole time I was in that prison. Second, one day, Doctors Without Borders came and told me I had to be circumcised because I had developed a disease.…
Nickname: “The Question Asker”
Age: 10 years old
Time spent at FidesCo: Approximately 1 year
Jean Paul Mugisha is the oldest of three siblings. He lived with his parents, but his father severely beat his mother and one day he beat her so much that he was taken to prison.
“I didn’t like being home when my father was beating my mom, so I used to stay on the street and then go home late at night. I didn’t go to school.”
The police picked up Mugisha from the street one day and took him to the transit center. From there, FidesCo came and transferred him to the temporary shelter and re-integration center.…
I’m 13 years old, and I live at FIDESCO.
I have my mom, but my dad past away. He died of aids in 2011. I have two sisters and one brother. I’m the youngest. My older sister got married and she lives with my second sister. I never wanted to stay at my sister’s place because I was burdening her husband and I cannot stay at my mom’s because she’s really sick too.
I used to stay on the street, and I used to steal things for a living. That’s where I got caught by the police, and I was taken to a place where they keep kids who have nowhere to stay. …