Meet Eric
In 2004, SACCA met Eric. Like many of the children SACCA supported in its early days, he became an orphan as a result of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. No longer having his immediate family around, Eric turned to the streets and lived there for many years. When he finally joined SACCA, it wasn’t easy to overcome all the grief and distrust towards others that had built up over time. The wonderful and supportive staff at SACCA gradually worked to help him cope with this by providing consistent care, nurturing and social programming.
Whilst Eric settled at SACCA he was enrolled in primary school and developed a keen interest in studying. He lived in the centre for 6 years until he completed primary school. During that time, SACCA worked hard to trace his family and remarkably found out that he had relatives who survived the genocide, including his grandmother.
Over the course of this time, SACCA proactively helped Eric to develop skills required to rejoin the community and reintegrated Eric back with his elderly grandmother who was left in quite a vulnerable state after the genocide. SACCA continued to support Eric with his education and other essential needs (clothing, transport to school and hygiene needs) in order to ensure he and his grandmother were well-cared for. This support enabled Eric to become deeply focused at school, and he performed brilliantly with distinction, demonstrating his excellent discipline and passion for learning.
In secondary school, Eric became even more ambitious, where he held himself to a high standard amongst his peers, enabling him to pass secondary and even advanced secondary level exams. He was awarded a Government Bursary, and through perseverance and hard work, completed a Bachelor Degree in Education this year. SACCA very proudly took part in helping him celebrate his graduation which took place on October 11th 2018.
Outside the centers, Eric is a civil servant employed by the Rwandan Ministry of Education. He is also a science teacher in one of the secondary schools in the District where SACCA operates.
“His stories shared about how SACCA changed his life mean that other children can survive too, and not only survive, but thrive in life if they really want to.”
Eric continues to give back to SACCA and is a beacon of hope for the other children SACCA supports. His stories shared about how SACCA changed his life mean that other children can survive too, and not only survive, but thrive in life if they really want to. Eric is a role model in the community, and he takes pride in supporting other children in how to be focused and committed to learning and achieving their goals.
Eric is one of the many children that has benefited from the work that SACCA does within the community. With the support from our donors, SACCA continues to protect the future and opportunities of children who are capable of so much, once they are given the love and support and resources to help them succeed.
With your help
we can continue to support people like Eric.