Christian Niyomungeri

Christian is lovely boy, born in 2007 who has 3 brothers and 2 sisters and his mother. Christian lost his father when he was still very young and his mother has bad asthma. She often has asthmatic attacks and is not able to work or to be productive and make a dependable living. She spends some of the days at the hospital and the other days at home trying to regain her health. This arrangement puts a huge burden on the family as one would expect.

So, Christian now lives with his aunt, who adopted him, and his 5 cousins in a two bedroom house with limited electricity. His aunt has no formal education, so it’s difficult for her to find a well-paying job. She does part-time work tending other people's gardens and she cleans at the church, which she does unpaid. Currently, Christian’s aunt is a hired cook at Hope Shines and she is one of 3 cooks that prepare the daily meals offered to the children in the after-school program. She is known as “Mama Christian”.

Christian's eldest cousin sometimes goes out to find some work when his aunt isn't her best in terms of health. Christian’s aunt is very happy to have the support of Hope Shines, especially because she was struggling to send all the kids to school. Hope Shines relieved a lot of pressure and now she is able to provide scholastic materials and other basic needs for her children, including Christian.

Christian loves playing with his cousins. With his friends, his favorite activity is to play football (soccer). At Hope Shines, traditional dance is his preferred activity.
Christian is now able to attend primary school full time and wants to become a pilot when he grows up!