Zidan Mugisha

Zidan was born in 2005 and is very humble and intelligent. He lives with his mother, brother and 2 sisters (one of them is a student at Hope Shines as well, Yvette) in Kigali in a one bedroom house with limited electricity.

Zidan’s mother used to sell vegetables, but her merchandise was stolen twice, which set her too far back to recover financially. She ran out of money and had to do part-time jobs such as washing clothes and fetching water for the neighbors. Now, she is working at Hope Shines in the Kiza Recycled Soap project, producing new soap that is distributed to the community. This has become a vital source of income for her and the family.

The elder brother of Zidan often helps his mother to get more money to support the family, which is helpful. Zidan is also helping by cleaning the house and fetching water. Unfortunately, the family only eats once a day simply because they can’t afford more

When Hope Shines started helping the family, Zidan’s mother was really happy. With the new support she is now able to get the basic needs for her children such as food and clothing, which was impossible before.

Zidan is currently in primary school where he loves to study English and he dream of becoming a pilot. At Hope Shines, Zidan especially loves the traditional dance. But when he is with his friends, he prefers to play football (soccer).