In 2007, she dropped out of school due to circumstances beyond her control. Her dream was shattered at a young age but Immaculate Nikuze did not resign to fate. With the future looking uncertain, the 13-year-old at the time did not give up. Fast forward 2016, Nikuze is now a 23-year-old but with a story that is laced with hope and inspiration.

After acquiring vocational training, she has transformed her life from despair to hope.

"I spent seven years working on a small family farm, and it was no easy feat. Later, I decided to go for vocational training and specialised in leather production… and life has never been the same,” says Nikuze.

Nikuze works at Atelier Gatorano, a leather manufacturing company located in Gitega Sector, Nyarugenge District.

She completed her primary school studies in 2007 at Nyange Primary School, but was unable to proceed to secondary owing to financial constraints. With just a small plot of land on which they cultivated crops for sale as a family, Nikuze stayed home and helped her mother, Beatrice Uwimana,who also had four other kids to worry about with no husband to help.

Nikuze, who also has a child, says that joining the leather factory is a decision she does not regret.

"It was hard for my family to get all the basic needs such as food, clothes, and so forth. So, as the eldest daughter, I had to devise means and strive to help my mother and siblings.

"My family doesn’t own a huge farm, so we would only harvest a little. I had to think of a way to help them out and transform our lives. I joined the company after acquiring skills in making leather products, a field that is male-dominated. But that does not bother me because I know that I’m just as skilled as the rest. I currently earn about Rwf2000 a day,” Nikuze says.

After living with her mother in Nyange Sector, Ngororero District for seven years, in 2015, Nikuze enrolled at Kiatu Training School located in Huye District, a school which trains the youth in making leather products. Nikuze was trained in making footwear for men and women.

Nikuze says that a long episode of her life was characterised by poor conditions, and she always wished for a better opportunity. Something she could make an honest living from and help take care of her family.

With the support of Workforce Development Authority (WDA), Nikuze got the chance to join Kiatu Vocational Training School in Butare.

Nikuze spent six months at the training school, before joining Atelier Gatorano in Kigali.

"During my time at Kiatu, I had to adapt to a quick learning approach, and it is because of this that at Atelier Gatorano, my skills are making me money.

"I thought about my poor family and it pushed me even harder to learn more, and set higher goals. I’m currently able to support my family; I send some money back home and, look after myself,” she says with a smile.

For Nikuze, all she wanted was to help her family out and take care of herself. Working back home for seven years was a challenge, not just because making ends meet was a hustle, but because she was tired of depending on her mother for every little thing.

Nikuze adds happily: "I have no need to buy shoes as I can make them myself. I feed myself, I pay my rent, I even opened a bank account and my savings have increased to Rwf200,000. I also pay for health assurance for myself and my son. I honestly feel truly independent.”

She recalls working on the farm and the fact that the little harvest they got had to be sold to get some money for other basic needs. It saddens her to think of the tough times her family faced. But now, even though things are still not as peachy as she wants them to be, her family is okay and she will continue to support them.

Nikuze advises young girls to never give up on seeking a better life for themselves or their family.

Ambitions

At Atelier Gatorano, Nikuze uses three machines to produce quality leather footwear. It’s hard work, but rewarding, she says.

Her goal is to work twice as hard as her male counterparts because it is the only way, she says, she’ll succeed.

She adds that perseverance and the need to support her family have kept her going.

"There are other things that I hadn’t put in mind, like the fact that I’m a girl, I can’t be dirty.Sometimes during training, things get messy but I always try to stay clean and organised.

"Girls must be hardworking because if they don’t work hard, they are at a risk of being taken advantage of, and this will surely ruin their future,” she warns.

Trainer’s view

70-year-old Juvenal Gatorano who trained Nikuze says that he has trained up to 120 youngsters in leather production, including ten girls.

"Everyone appreciates Nikuze’s aptitude. She is keen on making great footwear. Other girls should look up to her and find ways to contribute to society’s development,” he says.

28-year-old Olivier Niyonsenga has been working at Atelier Gatorano for over six years. He also helps in training and says that over the years, he has witnessed a powerful impact on the girls who come for training.

He reveals that before it was mostly boys who had interest but girls are now embracing the trend.

"I think girls had fear of doing such jobs because of the mentality that it’s hard, but this is changing. They realised it’s not hard, and those who come show that they indeed love what they do and are determined to make ends meet,” Niyonsenga says.

He adds that equipping young girls with such skills has had a great impact on society because this has kept them occupied and productive, as opposed to being idle; something that can only lead to problems.

Niyonsenga applauds the girls who have so far taken part in the training and calls upon more girls to be a part of it.

"The girls we have trained so far have shown that they have the passion to learn and when they leave, they part with the required skills, this is encouraging,” he says.

What girls think about the TVET field

Lillian Uwintwali, the founder and chief executive officer of M-AHWII, a Kigali-based software development firm, says that the number of girls taking up TVET courses are still few, especially in the fields that have always been dominated by boys like mechanics, electrical engineering, construction, carpentry and architecture.

She says that this can be changed through campaigns like the TVET Girls Campaign that went on throughout the country from November 30 to December 13 this year.

"As one of the role models in this campaign, we have been sharing experiences with the public with the aim of inspiring young girls to take up these careers, and, talking to parents and teachers to motivate and encourage the girls,” Uwintwali says.

She says that girls should embrace vocational fields because they have higher employment opportunities and pay well.

"More so, if women make up 52 per cent of the population and men 48 per cent, we simply can’t leave all the work to be done by males when we can learn and contribute to the economic development of our country,” she adds.

Nancy Sibo, the brains behind the Mobile Cow application that helps livestock farmers get information on how to monitor the estrous cycle of their cows, says that girls should pull up their socks when it comes to TVET, arguing that these hands-on skills are better when it comes to job creation and self-employment.

"These areas boost the level of competency among the graduates because they are likely to have a better feel of the processes involved in their chosen careers,” Sibo explains.

Ms Geek 2016, Rosine Mwiseneza, urges girls to learn new skills in TVET.

"Stereotypes will be outlived if girls embrace tougher fields like those in TVET, and this can serve as an important inspiration to the future generation,” she says.

Additional information by Donah Mbabazi

How can girls be encouraged to take up TVET courses?

Most people grew up with the mentality that for one to be successful, they must go to university, hence, a girl opting for vocational training would be failure. But this isn’t true; for them to understand this, sensitisation must be enforced for such mentalities to be wiped away and I believe that with this, more girls will be ready to take up such courses.

Deborah Mutoni, office administrator

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I think it should start right from the grass-roots level; schools should encourage students to take up these courses by showing them the advantages that come with them, like the ability to be self-employed. That way, girls will understand that such courses bear advantages and not just those offered at universities.

Annet Imbabazi, entrepreneur

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Children are quick learners, so imparting such skills at an early stage can really help. This can be done by introducing simple courses right from the primary level and with this, they can get ample time to explore the various courses and finally be able to choose one that best fits their interest.

Norah Mutesi, graduate.

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Parents and teachers have a great role to play in this, they should encourage the girls to be daring and take up these challenging courses instead of shying away from them and opting for simpler ones. I believe a girl can be an electrician or a mechanic if she chooses to and, be good at what she does.

Olivia Karungi, parent