Nikuze Dusabe

Nikuze is a joyful girl, born in 2006, who lives with both parents, 4 brothers and 2 sisters (one of them is a student at Hope Shines as well, Dativa) in an old one room mud house without any electricity in Nyamirambo, Kigali City. The house itself is not well-constructed or stable at all. Anytime incliment weather arrives, the house gets damaged and recently a heavy rain damaged the roof and walls of the home.

The family usually has one meal a day only, and sometimes they do not even eat due to the financial struggles of the parents. Coming to the learning center of Hope Shines, Nikuze gets at least 4 full meals per week, which is offered during the after-school program she attends. For work, her father is a cobbler and her mother doesn't work due to major heart complications. However, the family is stable and the environment is positive for Nikuze but they remain extremely poor.

Nikuze is now almost finished with primary school, where her favorite subjects are English and Kinyarwanda (the native language of Rwanda). Since joining Hope Shines, Nikuze has grown into a happier and more engaging young girl. She loves to sing, dance and play with her friends and when she grows up, she wants to become a nurse or a lawyer. Her favorite sport is football (soccer).