From a Village Dream to a City Salon Chair: Ruth's Journey

Ruth Uwizeyimana grew up in Gicumbi, a rural district where the future can feel like something that happens somewhere else. She watched her family work hard just to keep things steady, and she carried a quiet wish that one day she would be the one helping them, instead of the other way around.

In September 2024, that wish found a door. Ruth enrolled at Mwananshuti VTC Kicukiro to train in hairdressing. For six months she learned the craft properly, the cutting, the styling, the care that goes into making someone feel good about themselves. Then came two months of internship, where the skills she had practised in a classroom met real customers with real expectations.

By May 2025, she had finished, and she was ready.

Not long after, a salon in the centre of Kicukiro hired her. She earns a good salary there now, doing work she trained for and enjoys. Every month, she sets some of it aside for her family back in Gicumbi, and she puts the rest into savings, because Ruth is not finished yet. She is working toward a salon of her own.

Not long ago, none of this was within reach for her. A steady job, a good wage, a plan taking shape. Ruth says the future she once only dreamed about is starting to happen right in front of her.

In her own words: "I used to imagine a life like this without knowing how I would ever reach it. Today I'm living it, and I'm saving toward something even bigger. I'm grateful to Mwananshuti VTC and to MCC for opening that first door, and I hope many more young people get the same chance I did."