Salimu Cyizere

Salimu is a humble boy, born in 2007, with a contagious personality. He lives with both parents, a brother and a sister in a rented mud house with poor electricity and no access to clean water in a congested village called Rwarutabura. Both parents are HIV positive and have difficulties finding a job. His mother is currently working to clean the streets as a sweeper and is paid by the local government. As a result of their working difficulties the family often eats only once a day. If there is enough food, sometimes they eat twice a day but that is not often.

Salimu’s parents used to have difficulties providing simple basic needs and scholastic materials for him, but now that Hope Shines started to support Salimu, it is getting better and they have felt more optimistic.

Salimu usually has a hard time at school because of his poor behavior and short temperament. His difficult home life contributes heavily to this issue. His teacher isolates him from his classmates because of this and as a result, Salimu performs poorly in class. Hope Shines is monitoring the situation closely at the school to help Salimu and ensure he gets back on track.

Despite his struggles at school, Salimu really likes to study English and is a generally happy kid. He wants to become a pilot when he grows up and his favorite sport is tennis. He says he feels most accepted when he is at the Hope Shines learning center!