Meet Jean

21 Years Old
Lives in Boneza, Rwanda
Student at Kivu Hills Academy
Education Level: Senior 6

Jean is a 21 year old Construction Technology student at Kivu Hills Academy. He chooses to cling to hope as his greatest asset in the world. He humbly confesses that, “I come from a poor family.” He is trying to push through his hardships to the finishing line with a hopeful spirit, believing that one day things will get better. Through his personal struggles, Jean maintains a pleasant and quiet personality. He is in his final year and loves Mathematics and Construction practices and consistently works hard in school.

He lives in Boneza with his three siblings and parents whose major income sources are coffee growing and the residuals from the subsistence farming. His parents’ modest earnings can hardly cater for the entire family’s feeding, upkeep and school fees for the four children.

Jean’s parents have struggled to see him up to his final year at Kivu Hills Academy, knowing he maneuver his way ahead thereafter. Being the first born and studying from a good school makes him a ray of hope to the family. According to Jean, the construction and entrepreneurial skills he is acquiring at school are the key to a better future. During the holidays he helps his parents with farming and also tries to hone his skills to earn a small income through construction jobs. He also makes good use of his entrepreneurial skills by acting as a middleman between the coffee growers and buyers and even rears a few rabbits that bring in some money for upkeep.

After senior six, Jean hopes to put the skills he has acquired from Kivu Hills Academy to full use and get a job so he can support his parents and save for higher education. Jean dreams of becoming a Civil Engineer after finishing higher education. In addition to the construction skills, he has proudly acquired computer skills, public speaking skills and is much more conversant in English, no longer feeling shy to hold a conversation with people from the Western World. Jean is thrilled to be a part of Kivu Hills Academy and looks forward to the future.