At the age of three, Eric Kwizera started living with different members of his extended family following his parent’s divorce. They rejected him, one after another until he dropped out of school and became a street child. That, he explains, was in 2012 when he was living in Gisozi, Kigali City.
"I used to gather stray puppies from a swamp located in Batsinda and sell them to the rich at Gisozi so that they could give me some food or money. That's how I was making a living,” says Kwizera, adding that he didn’t consume drugs like fellow street children, explaining that he hoped better days would come.
In 2013, he learned that both his mother and father were married to new spouses. Nevertheless, Kwizera says that his mother with the help of different members of her family went on a search for him and when he was found, his grandmother took him to Nyanza District to live with her.
"I also resumed school because she had agreed to help me until I graduate," he notes.
According to Kwizera, his grandmother died in 2018 when he was in Senior 2.
"My grandfather married another woman and they chased me away. I started living with a neighbour who sheltered me until I graduated from O. Level,” he narrates.
Becoming a leader
On December 7, 2018, Kwizera was voted as the representative of children through the National Children Commission (NCC) in Nyanza District. He started his journey to advocate for fellow children, especially girls.
He knew that some girls in his neighborhood, including classmates, had been impregnated by men and ended up dropping out of school.
"It was mainly due to poverty because these men were offering them small things like biscuits, mandazi, bread, or tea to destroy their lives,” explained Kwizera.
The alarming issue of unwanted pregnancy and how it was affecting the children he was in charge of compelled him to look for a solution.
Initiating a saving group
Kwizera gathered different girls, including those who had been impregnated, and persuaded them to start a saving group so that they could cater to their basic needs.
"I gathered over 1000 children through cells with the help of executive secretaries and parents," he says.
He explains that they were interested unlike their parents although the doubts were washed away by the trust he planted in them after opening a SACCO account in their names.
"I created 10 groups of 1000 girls; 100 per each. We also created executive committees for the children and their parents to help in monitoring the money. A child would save a minimum amount of Rwf 150 per week with Rwf 500 being the maximum,” he said.
According to Kwizera, a year later, the members had over Rwf 10 million on the account.
"We shared the money during the time Covid-19 cases dropped when schools resumed,” says Kwizera. "Parents didn’t have money and dropouts had surged, but the children returned to school. I told some to pursue tailoring and urged them to work hard and rely on themselves instead of anticipating things from men.”
Kwizera noted that apart from paying school fees, the money was also used to buy pads, school materials, Mutuelle de Sante for 2020-2021 for the girls.
"We also bought goats for around 80 children due to the saving, and we started saving again," he added.
Starting an NGO
Kwizera says that after embracing the impact his initiative was making, he knocked on different doors but didn’t get help as he expected.
"I didn’t get discouraged though because what I had initiated also aimed to strengthen self-reliance,” he asserts.
He started a non-governmental organization named My Goal Project Organisation (MGPO) and registered it legally.
Kwizera explains that the organization thrived as he consulted different individuals, adding that it aims to reduce the cases of unwanted pregnancies in Rwanda, particularly in Nyanza District.
He noted that he is also attempting to work with Gicumbi, Musanze, and Burera districts.
Currently, a final-year high school student, Kwizera is often challenged with financial constraints. He is mobilizing for sponsorship and support to forge ahead with the activities of an organisation he founded. So far, they get support from Exuus Ltd, a local fintech firm and YegoB.
The 20-year-old is glad that those he trained are now training other young girls and can’t be lured into unprotected sex.
"By 2024," he asserted, "30 of our girls will have mastered the use of tailoring machines and will be able to train others. We also seek to empower more girls with enough information on sexual and reproductive health in different districts across Rwanda."