Born in Nyabiraba Commune, near Gasarara in Bujumbura Province, David NDUWAYO is a young boy of15 years old. He belongs to a family of nine siblings: four boys and three girls besides their dad and Mum.
In 2015, David’s father was involved in a deadly accident that affected their family economy: the medical bills were very expensive, and the family was obliged to use all their money and sell many of their family possessions to be able to pay for their father’s surgery.
Since then, David’s dad has been disabled and cannot perform any job. Illiterate, David’s mother owns a very small business of tomatoes and vegetable fruits. She manages a capital of only $20 to feed the family. She only struggles with other family expenses, like providing clothing and other school materials.
Like other children, David had a dream of becoming a doctor. He hopes then to be able to open a clinic in the future that will support vulnerable children by providing them with free treatments.
Through difficulties and hardships, David steaks at pursuing his dream: in 2020, regardless of his being the best in his class, he repeatedly was chased from school due to the lack of school materials, uniforms, and shoes.
David and his sisters are part of TCA’s 200 direct beneficiaries of the supportive program. Through the program, David has been given a godmother in Belgium. The latter has been providing school materials, clothes, healthcare, and monthly transport fees. She also was the one who gave a small capital to David’s mother to be able to run a productive small business to feed David and his sisters.
With all that support, David was able to keep studying and performed well in the national exam with a score of 80%. He has already moved from Busoro Secondary School to Lycée Municipal Rohero, one of the good schools in Bujumbura, Burundi.
“I am grateful to TCA for giving me a chance to study again. It was not easy but through their help, now life is better. Some days, I was chased from class due to the lack of school materials, or uniforms. But now, I have got another mother who provides everything I need and got a family of compassionate people to whom I belong.”
Alongside the other 160 children, David is also a beneficiary of the daily porridge that TCA provides to encourage school attendance and fight against malnutrition. After School, David helps his sisters with home chores, revises his lessons, and often participates in TCA’s English Program. With friends, he has been visiting patients once a month in different hospitals in Bujumbura. Today he is among the top three students in his class and volunteers in TCA during summer activities. In his free time, he cares for his vegetable gardens where he gets little money to support her mother.
“With pen and books, my godmother’s guidance, and support from TCA, I am creating the future I ever wanted.”, said David during a recent Youth Talk session organized by TCA.