Esther Niyogisubizo

Esther is a lovely, outwardly happy girl born in 2005 and lives with both her parents and 4 siblings. The father is a gatekeeper (security) and the mother takes care of Esther but does not have a job. With this economic status, the family only can eat one meal a day, which can hurt the health of all family members. They live in a small mud house with limited electricity and access to water but no ability to clean the water.

Esther has major vision issues and seems to have a mental problem. Through Hope Shines, she has been examined for learning disabilities and has had her vision tested. It was found that she is learning disabled and she has received new glasses and also placed at the front of the classroom as a result of this discovery.

The mother has not been very supportive of her daughter. As said by her mother, “Esther is a shy girl who does not care about anything as she does everything she thinks about without thinking.”

The vision issues, intellectual capabilities, lack of basic needs such as a balanced diet are contributing to her low performance at school and her inner frustartion, as noted by her mother. Hope Shines would like to be a place of healing for Esther by being a family to her, through the after school program, the health feeding interventions and mentorship program. Esther spends a lot of time at the Hope Shines Learning Center and being exposed to other children has helped Esther to be a better person. She dreams of a day when she will not be so frustrated by learning and hopefully gain skills that will allow her to make a living and support her friends and family.