Eric Mugiraneza

I am 15 years old now.  Before coming to FIDESCO, I lived on the streets, but I do not know how long I was there.  I just remember that I kept trying to escape the police because, if they catch you on the street, you go to The Camp of Transition and you get beaten.

Both my parents died.  I really loved my parents.  My father was sick, and two months after he died, my mother also died.  I had gone to try and find some food for her, but when I came back home after three days, I saw she was already dead.  Cockroaches were eating her body.  Some people in the area put a tarp over her body and we put her body into a hole in the ground.

After that, I went to live with my grandmother, but my father-in-law lived there too and he tortured me.  I left that place and some kids told me that I could make money while living on the streets in Kigali, so I tried that lifestyle until I came to FIDESCO.  Since I came here, I have stopped taking drugs, smoking and stealing.  I am afraid of death and becoming homeless again.

I want to dance.  For me, that is the #1 thing.  I want to become a professional dancer and then I could help teach others to dance too.  After dance, I want to learn about computers and I want to study at school if it is possible.

You can watch the old interview of Eric here.